Seventeen Again
by Snapplelinz
Summary: Freddie and Carly are on the verge of getting a divorce when Freddie undergoes a certain 'change'. Can Freddie rectify his past mistakes and get his family back? Based on the movie, but with a Creddie twist.
1. The Beginning

**Author's Note: Hellooo, fellow iCarly and Creddie fans! So I said I wouldn't be working on any iCarly projects for a few weeks after my latest Sharly fic. But after certain consideration, some really complimentary PM's from people who've read my other iCarly fics and a sudden burst of inspiration, I wrote this chapter for a new story. But you guys have to give me some feedback to let me know what you think. Adios!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly, the characters depicted in the tv series or that of "17 Again".  
**

* * *

The wide auditorium was empty save for one: a lone teenage boy in the centre of the varnished wooden floor, standing poised with a basketball in his hand and a determined look on his face. And then he began his rigorous routine of preparing himself for the game happening in an hour's time by running 3-point shot drills. Every shot of the basketball from the flick of his wrist landed soundlessly through the net each time before hitting the floor with a loud bang. He had already discarded of his shirt at the beginning of the drill and his upper body glistened with sweat, which ran like water over his muscles and six-pack.

And to think that just a few years ago, Freddie Benson had been renowned for just being a computer whiz, and here he was, in his senior year of high school, on the brink of getting a basketball scholarship to any college in the country. The future was just an hour away and he was at the top of his game.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Freddie stood in the exact same place in the gymnasium. Only this time, he was surrounded by the rest of his team-mates, getting ready to pose for their photo in the yearbook. The guys were getting restless and Coach Lennox was beginning to lose patience.

"Would someone mind telling me where the hell Gibson is?" Coach Lennox thundered.

"He's probably playing with his blow-up doll, Coach." Rory Blake snorted maliciously.

"Give it a rest, Rory. I'm sure Gibby will be here soon, Coach." Freddie chided soothingly while glaring indignantly at Rory.

Just then, Gibby came sprinting into the gymnasium, huffing and puffing while he ran.

"I'm sorry! I'm here, I'm here! The zipper on my costume got stuck!" Gibby wheezed apologetically and turning red in the face after running all the way from the parking lot.

"Well, you're here now and that's all that matters. The basketball team can't have its photo without its mascot. Come on, everybody, stand closer together." The photographer instructed rapidly.

"Let's do this thing! Tripp The Turtle is in the house!" Gibby roared jubilantly, causing most of the basketball team to laugh mirthfully.

"Knock it off, guys." Freddie chastised sternly, coming to Gibby's defence.

"Seriously, why did you have to give the mascot a name, least of all that name?" Freddie asked in an undertone of his best friend while they stood together.

"What's wrong with 'Tripp'?" Gibby asked innocently.

Freddie raised an eyebrow in response.

"It's cool." Gibby protested.

"No it's not." Freddie retorted assuredly.

"If the Ninja Turtle's done yapping, the rest of us would like to take this picture already." Coach Lennox snapped callously.

Gibby cowered slightly under Coach Lennox's glare and took to smiling as widely as possible to hide his embarrassment while holding up the golden placard with the basketball team's name on it.

"Alright, fellas, big smiles for the camera. Just think of all the different times you're gonna get laid after you win the trophy. Say 'Ridgeway'." The photographer commanded in a winning voice.

As the team and mascot yelled out 'Ridgeway', Rory managed to kick Gibby in the shin from behind, causing him to fall backwards as the camera flash went off. So when the picture came out, Gibby had a look of horror on his face while his head arched backwards.

* * *

The gymnasium was packed to the bone with spectators of every creed: students, parents, faculty members, lovers of basketball. The cheerleaders had begun their routine, their hips gyrating from side to side while a catchy hip-hop song blared out of the speakers around them.

Freddie, who stood on the sidelines with some of his other team-mates, got a sudden urge to do something spontaneous before the game. He rushed onto the wooden floor and began dancing right in the midst of the cheerleaders. The crowd lapped it up while he moved in sync with the cheerleaders, waving his arms from side to side and enjoying the attention. The crowd roared with delight when he ended off the routine by ripping his tracksuit pants right off his legs to reveal his basketball shorts underneath with his basketball vest.

"Hey, Lady Gaga! The game starts in 5 minutes." Coach Lennox reminded sarcastically while tapping his wrist watch with his index finger.

As Freddie made to go, Coach Lennox placed a calloused hand on his shoulder.

"It's all you today, Benson. Look at the stands, you see those scouts? They're all here for you, so don't make me look like a horse's ass." Coach reminded sternly.

"You got it, Coach." Freddie promised seriously.

Freddie grinned sheepishly at his coach and ran to join Gibby on the sidelines.

"Dude, what the hell was that?" Gibby teased.

"Oh, just a little something I made up on the spot." Freddie responded airily.

"I can't believe you had the nerve to laugh at 'Tripp The Turtle' after those moves you just stole from a Britney Spears music video." Gibby chortled.

"That's because 'Tripp The Turtle' is lame." Freddie teased back laughingly.

While they continued laughing together, Freddie gazed over Gibby's shoulder and caught sight of the most beautiful girl in the world entering the gym. She was approximately 5-foot in height with flowing black hair which reached just beyond her shoulders; wearing dark blue skinny jeans, a long-sleeved patterned white shirt and shin-high light brown Ug boots. Her dark brown eyes gazed around her like she was looking for someone while she stood with her arms folded tightly across her chest. From the first day that he'd ever met her, Carly Shay still somehow took Freddie's breath away after all this time.

Ignoring Gibby altogether at this point, Freddie began jogging towards Carly like his life depended on it. Carly caught sight of Freddie approaching and a warm smile appeared on her face. And then she was in his strong arms, Freddie holding her tightly like she would disappear back into the crowd.

They'd had their ups-and-downs right from the get-go: setting up one of the most popular web-shows on the internet, surviving the daily trials and tribulations of Ridgeway High School; a psychotic fan who had once locked the iCarly trio in her basement, sky-diving out of an aeroplane in full flight, taco trucks and a bedroom being set on fire.

But when they reached junior year, Freddie and Carly had finally decided to give it another try and start dating for real soon after Freddie's first basketball game at a victory party at Sam's place. Their relationship had developed quickly in just over a year and they had been inseparable ever since their first date (a candle-lit dinner on the Benson's balcony in Bushwell Plaza) and were rapidly falling in love with each other as time passed. They complimented each other in every possible way, like two halves of the same coin.

"You made it!" Freddie exclaimed jubilantly, his heart swelling in his chest at his beautiful girlfriend's appearance.

"Yeah, I did." Carly replied meekly by way of greeting.

Freddie enveloped Carly in yet another bear-hug and planted a quick kiss on her forehead.

"I'm so glad you're here, Carls. There are scouts all over the gym and they're all here to see me. I'm so nervous; it feels like the future's just a couple of seconds away." Freddie admitted anxiously.

"Yeah, it sure is." Carly agreed quickly.

Freddie wasn't slow in noticing the faraway look in Carly's eyes while he rambled on. That's when he realised that she wasn't her usual perky self right before a basketball game. Something was definitely up.

"Carly, are you okay?" Freddie questioned in concern.

"Of course. I'm just a little…yeah, I'm fine." Carly responded hurriedly with a wide smile on her face.

Freddie became increasingly alarmed when he noticed Carly's brown eyes filling with unshed tears, threatening to fall from her eyelids.

"No, you're not fine. Babe, what's going on?" Freddie demanded worriedly.

"Nothing's wrong."

"Please tell me."

"No really, it's fine, Freddie. We'll talk about it afterwards; you go and enjoy the game." Carly implored firmly.

"I won't be able to enjoy the game if I know you're upset. Carly, please just tell me." Freddie begged sincerely, his hands resting on Carly's shoulders.

Carly bowed her head slightly before looking Freddie dead in the eye once more. She took a shuddering breath which eliminated the worst of her approaching tears before responding:

"Freddie, I'm…I just found out that I'm…"

"I'm pregnant."

The world could've crashed into the sun right then and there and incinerated into a million pieces of smouldering rock and Freddie Benson wouldn't have noticed at all. His legs felt like wobbly jelly beneath him and he found himself backing away slowly from Carly. He was practically stumbling back onto the basketball court like a dehydrated man in the middle of a desert on the verge of death. He couldn't believe what he had heard.

As two hormonal teenagers very much in love, they had an active sex life. But they'd been so careful. Freddie had always used a condom and he knew that Carly would never cheat on him. Carly was pregnant and he was going to be a father.

The referee blew sharply on his whistle for the start of the game and players began milling all around Freddie. The sound was dull in his ears like a muffled fog horn and his eyelids were blinded by numerous lights from dozens of digital cameras, camcorders and the floodlights overhead.

This couldn't possibly be true, he was too young. Both he and Carly were too young to become parents. They were still months away from graduation and on the verge of possibly going to different colleges, each separated by several hundred miles. How could they possibly raise a child? What would their friends and family say?

Spencer. He'd always thought of him of as an older brother and mentor. Spencer had trusted him with the one thing more precious than his sculptures, his baby sister and her heart. What would Spencer think of him getting Carly pregnant?

And then there was his mom too. She was neurotic as a parent and extreme in her methods. But deep down, Freddie knew that his mom loved him a lot and only wanted him to be happy and safe. She'd taught him better than this, and he knew he'd be letting her down too in the worst possible way.

It felt like he was turning on his own axis, taking in every sight and sound before him. First he caught sight of Coach Lennox yelling at him from the sidelines, spittle flying haphazardly from the corners of his mouth. Then he gazed up at one of the scouts who locked eyes with him, then scribbled something onto a clipboard and shook his head mournfully. Then he stared straight into Rory Blake's accusing glare, mouthing 'what are you doing?' while attempting to block off an opponent. And Freddie was almost steam-rolled by Sam's evil eye while she began miming slitting his throat with her fingers. It took him a second later to realise that Sam wasn't upset about his performance on the court when he looked to the right and saw Carly turn her back on the game and make her way to the exit.

Then Freddie looked down at his hands and realised that he'd made an unconscious steal during the game, clutching the orange basketball tightly in his hands. As an opponent player came to take it off him, he side-stepped him instinctively and turned his entire body to the right, catching sight of Carly again. That's when he realised that he had a decision on his hands, one of the hardest choices he'd ever had to make in his life. Play the game of his life or lose the love of his life.

The choice was infinitely simple in the grand scheme of things as to what mattered most. Without thinking about it twice, Freddie smiled placidly and tossed the ball casually behind his back to the horror of the crowd. And then he began sprinting off the court to the bafflement of his team-mates, past the bleachers where Sam sat open-mouthed and out of the gymnasium. Carly was walking down the dimly lit hallway towards the main entrance of the school when Freddie finally overtook her and nearly tripped face-first in his attempts to block her path and stop her from leaving.

"Freddie, what are you doing?" Carly asked in alarm, surprised by her boyfriend's sudden appearance before her while she tried to hide the tears which had fallen down her face.

"You can't go. Carly, please…" Freddie pleaded frantically.

"Freddie, the game-"

"I don't care about the game; all I care about is you, Carly."

"You have to get back in there. Everybody's waiting for you, the scouts…" Carly trailed off pleadingly.

"Forget the scouts." Freddie replied dismissively.

"How can you say that? The opportunity for you to go to college is riding on this one game. Your future's beyond that door, Freddie." Carly declared with a gesture of her hand in the direction of the screaming crowd.

"No, it's not. My future's right here, standing in front me carrying my child. You're my future, Carly. You always have been." Freddie answered truthfully while cupping Carly's cheek in his hand.

"No, don't be crazy, Freddie. I can't let you throw everything away; I can't let you throw away your dream…" Carly protested before Freddie interrupted her by kissing her passionately.

Carly's hands in turn reached towards the edges of Freddie's basketball vest and pulled him impossibly closer while kissing him back just as willingly. She moaned against Freddie's lips when he moved his hands lovingly through her hair. And then her heart began beating rapidly in her chest at the feel of his lips on her neck while he mumbled her name repeatedly against her skin. When they finally broke apart, they were both smiling radiantly, Carly more so when Freddie gazed down at Carly's stomach with wonder in his eyes.

"I love you so much, Carly." Freddie stated earnestly, his fingers tracing imaginary circles around her belly through her shirt.

"I love you too, Freddie." Carly replied, matching his tone before enveloping his lips with yet another searing kiss.

The basketball game was back in full swing by this point, everyone in the auditorium having already forgotten about Freddie Benson's bizarre disappearance, save for two people. Still dressed in his mascot uniform, Gibby was staring at the entrance to the gym and scratching his turtle head in confusion. Sam on the other hand, sat in the bleachers, staring at the exact same point and smiling broadly to herself.

Freddie and Carly stood in the exact same place in the hallway, kissing and holding each other. Then Carly emitted a squeal of surprise when Freddie suddenly picked her up in her arms and began swinging her around in a circle like she weighed nothing at all. The two of them were in their own little world and for now, everything was perfect. They had each other; nothing and no one could ever come between them.

They were young, happy and in love.

They were a family.

* * *

**Author's Note: This would be a nice place to end a fic, huh? Teenage girl gets knocked up, teenage boy realises he can't live without knocked-up teenage girl, teenage boy and teenage girl end up living happily ever after. So holler at me and tell me what you think of this and whether I should continue with the story since I'm also working on a Suite Life story at the moment. And now there's a helping of Butter Chicken in the kitchen with my name on it that I need to eat right now. Snapplelinz out!**


	2. The End

**Author's Note: Please don't be alarmed by the title of this chapter, this most certainly isn't the end of the story (lol). I hope I find all you iCarly fans in high spirits while anticipating the airing of the newest episode, "iGet Pranky". I'm a bit behind with episodes, I still need to watch "iSam's Mom", thank God for a Smartphone and that doesn't take credit off my cellphone, unlike Youtube : ) I hope you all like this new chapter, cheers.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly or 17 Seventeen.  
**

* * *

_**18 years later…**_

A man lay sleeping in a bed that wasn't his own that Monday morning. In spite of the grey clouds gathering in dull mounds outside, a sudden burst of sunlight erupted through the open curtains, causing the man in the bed to wake. He rubbed sleep out of his eyes, his fingers grazing against an evident patch of stubble on his upper lip and chin. Despite only being 35 years old, Freddie Benson's face was prematurely old and wrinkled along his forehead and eyes, as if he had aged an additional ten years. He stumbled out of the bed haphazardly and covered his vest and boxers with his favourite maroon gown and slippers.

The bedroom in question was quite a bizarre pastiche of collector's items of both the comic and science-fiction persuasion, from the Galaxy Wars figurines which lined the shelves to the Spiderman duvet which covered the bed. Freddie made a mental note to himself to somehow convince Gibby in the near future to enlist the help of an interior decorator to make his home a bit more 'grown-up'. Gibby certainly would be able to afford the professional make-over.

After taking a shower, shaving his stubble and dressing in a suit and tie, Freddie trudged gloomily down the stairs towards the kitchen. Gibby was already seated at the table, wolfing down some Cap'n Krunch out a bowl with artificial green Kryptonian rocks encrusted all around it. Breakfast was a quiet affair, the sounds of Freddie pouring coffee into a mug and Gibby crunching away on his cereal filling the room.

"You get enough of the Cap'n?" Gibby asked cordially through a crunchy mouthful while staring at Freddie's half-eaten bowl.

"Yeah, Gib. I'm good with the Cap'n." Freddie answered slowly.

Gibby nodded and poured himself another bowl of cereal while staring pensively at Freddie's forlorn features.

"You know, Freddie, I gotta say…you're looking at Carly kicking you out and the kids wanting nothing to do with you…as a negative." Gibby began in what he hoped was an optimistic tone.

"You're right, Gibby. There's definitely a silver lining in all of that." Freddie returned sarcastically while adding sugar to his black coffee.

"You're right, it is mostly negative." Gibby stated glumly.

Gibby thought back pensively to a few months ago when Freddie had showed up unexpectedly on his doorstep in the middle of the night, completely rain sodden and carrying a suitcase of his belongings. Freddie had been staying with him ever since. Gibby had hoped that Freddie and Carly would work out their differences somewhere along the lines, but to no avail. Carly hadn't budged on her decision to divorce Freddie and Freddie in return had simply thrown in the towel. Gibby wasn't even sure how their kids felt about everything; but if he could guess, he figured that they'd probably side with their mom on this one. Nevertheless, Freddie had been his best friend for most of his life and Gibby was determined to see him through one of the hardest times in his life no matter what happened. He owed him that much after everything Freddie had done for him over the years.

"But hey, come on. Not everybody's cut out for marriage, Freddie. Look at me; I'm perfectly happy as a single man in 'The Emerald City'. This is a new beginning for you; think of all the women you can sleep with now." Gibby continued in an upbeat manner, desperate to lift Freddie's current mood.

Freddie glanced at his best friend with a raised eyebrow in response.

"Okay, so maybe you're not ready to enjoy the perks of your recent bachelorhood yet. W-what about that big meeting at work today? You're up for a big promotion, aren't you?" Gibby pressed eagerly.

This did the trick as Freddie's features brightened up almost immediately.

"Yeah, you're right, Gibby! So everything else has been going wrong in my life, but there's still my job. I've been doing the best work on my team out of everyone; I've got that promotion in the bag!" Freddie reasoned enthusiastically with a wide grin on his face.

"That's the spirit!" Gibby praised happily while clapping his best friend affectionately on the back.

"It's time to start focusing on the future, Gibster. Today's the beginning of the rest of my life." Freddie promised with a far away look in his eye.

"I'd better head to work. I'll talk to you later, Gibby." He concluded briskly, grabbing his suitcase from the chair next to him and getting to his feet.

He swept out of the kitchen without a backward glance.

"Okay. See ya later, Freddie. Love you!" Gibby called out unexpectedly, but wasn't surprised when Freddie made no response as the front door closed behind him.

* * *

The board room at the pharmaceutical company where Freddie worked was already filled with his colleagues while he waited for his boss to arrive. Freddie had been working at the company for more than ten years and was one of the most senior members of his team. He'd been lucky to get the job at all, considering how hard up he and Carly had both been at the time after she had given birth to their first child, Corrie. And for the first time ever, Freddie was going to get rewarded for all his hard work.

Everyone stopped talking amongst themselves when the CEO finally entered the plush board room. Even though he wanted the promotion, Freddie didn't really like his boss, Chad Matthews. For one, Chad was a good ten years younger than him, having just graduated from UCLA. Second of all, his father had owned the company before him, so Blake had been handed the big job instead of working for it. And thirdly, Chad had insisted on filling the pharmaceutical team which worked on evaluating surveys of the effects of certain drugs with young attractive women that he enjoyed ogling on a regular basis. In fact, Freddie was one of three men who currently worked on the team.

"Good morning, my peeps! How's it hanging, everybody?" Chad greeted rambunctiously.

Freddie stopped himself from rolling his eyes when Chad made eyes with a pretty blonde that sat beside him, giving her an obvious wink before starting the meeting.

"Before we get to the crux of today's meeting, I want to congratulate you all on a job well done for getting me those numbers on time for last Friday's board meeting. This new brand of Viagra has been tested successfully on the public right here in Seattle. And I am happy to say that in this particular instance, having a constant erection has been a very good thing for our clientele." Chad introduced with a hint of a seedy tone in his voice.

"What you all demonstrated during those hours spent working over-time these past few weeks is how much you value this company, and I can't thank you enough. That is why the position of team leader is such an important role. The person who gets promoted has to show me three things: leadership, dedication and loyalty. And I am happy to announce that I have found someone in this group sitting here today who fits the bill completely." Chad continued seriously.

Freddie sat upright in his chair and pursed his hands together in a self-satisfied way. This was it, the moment of truth. Freddie's smile widened when Chad looked his way with an endearing grin etched on his face.

"Freddie, Freddie…" Chad began affectionately.

"Could you scooch over for a second? Because I'd like you all to give it up for your new team leader…NANCY!" Chad concluded boisterously.

The pretty blonde who sat next to Freddie went through a whole show of gaping in shock and clasping her hand to her heart in amazement before waving said hands to stop her imminent tears of joy.

"Oh my God, this is like…totally amazing!" Nancy squealed fanatically amidst raucous clapping from her colleagues, save for one.

Freddie's heart literally plummeted in his chest at this announcement; he'd been so sure of his chances. All he could do was slump in his chair while the celebrations continued.

"Okay, team, that's it for today. Make me proud with those figures!" Chad called out in a winning tone, concluding the meeting.

While everyone else filed out of the boardroom, Freddie packed up his suitcase and lingered in the room. He approached Chad, who had switched on his blue-tooth headset and began speaking to a friend of his on the phone.

"Yo, Davey-Dave! How's it hanging, brosef? My weekend was awesome, played a spectacular game of tennis with my partner, Lenora. You remember her, right? Puerto-Rican, big brown eyes, long brown hair, legs that go on forever and an ass that won't quit…" Chad rambled on in a macho tone.

"Uh, Chad, can I talk to you for a minute?" Freddie interrupted politely.

"Hey, Dave, hold on for a second." Chad announced rapidly before turning his attention to Freddie momentarily.

"Freddie-O! What's cracka-lacking, homie?" Chad asked cordially.

"Uh, what's 'cracka-lacking' is the fact that you totally passed on me for this promotion and gave it to Nancy, who's only been working here for about 3 months. Chad, I've been working at this company for ten years; I've got the best figures on the team. So…am I missing something here?" Freddie demanded heatedly.

"Freddie, let me explain something to you. Yes, you have been working faithfully at this company for a long time and deserve to be rewarded. The reason I didn't consider you for this promotion is because…you are just too valuable to this company…to promote…for now. But don't worry, buddy, your time will come. Just you wait and see." Chad promised while patting Freddie condescendingly on the back.

"Listen to me, you little piece of shit-" Freddie threatened in a low voice, but was stopped from going any further when Chad returned to his former conversation.

"Yo, Dave, you still there? Now, where was I? Oh yeah, I was busy telling you about Lenora, my little sofrito mojito, which I got to get a little taste of too…"

Something snapped inside of Freddie and before he could stop himself, he reached out, yanked Chad's blue-tooth headset out of his ear and smashed it against the wall behind them. Chad stared in horror at his ruined headset which lay in a crumbled heap on the floor.

"Thanks for nothing, asshole." Freddie quipped scathingly before stalking out of the board room.

* * *

Freddie found himself walking into the elevator 30 minutes, carrying a box of his things from his office, a resigned expression on his face. The elevator door opened on the 8th floor and he inwardly groaned when Nancy, the newly-appointed team leader, and a group of her chatty female friends got into the elevator with him.

"Nancy, this is like the best thing that's like ever happened to you!"

"Yeah, like ever!"

"Omg, you guys. We've totally gotta have a celebration in my honour after work today. How about…TGI Fridays?" Nancy exclaimed exuberantly.

"Zomg, we'll order tequila shots during happy hour!"

Freddie had to stop himself from putting a fist through a wall at their girlish shrieks, which reminded him of a documentary he'd seen on the Discovery Channel not too long ago on the mating rituals of birds. He ended up riding the elevator all the way down to the lobby with the chattering females until he made his way down to the basement clutching his stuff, a miserable sight.

* * *

It had been an impulse decision to head down to Ridgeway High School. But since Freddie inadvertently had the day off, he had decided to go pick up his kids from school and take them out for lunch. The last time he'd seen them had been about two weeks ago when he had stopped by the house to pick up the last of his things. He knew it was a long shot, but on some level, Freddie wanted his kids to know that he wasn't the half-ass indifferent dad that he was currently claiming to be.

Being at Ridgeway brought back so many memories, each of them bittersweet in their poignant clarity in Freddie's mind. He stood beside his old locker and traced the contours of paint along the surfaces, which was now a darker green than he remembered. He glanced to his left and right at Carly and Sam's old lockers, remembering how time spent in this corner of the school had always been a social exercise: chatting, gossiping, complaining, and laughing together.

Freddie left the row of lockers and walked instead towards a see-through series of glass shelves containing the school's trophies in sports and academia. He was immediately drawn to a huge placard in the centre of the trophy case. It was of his old basketball team, taken in 2010 where Rory Blake had tripped Gibby on purpose before the flash of the camera had gone off.

It seemed like a lifetime ago, from a time when Freddie had been genuinely happy about where his life was heading to. Waves of bitterness crept up on him while he pondered on all the things he had to miss out on because he gave up on his dream of playing college basketball. Being back in the old gym hadn't helped to jog his memory either; it had only made things worse, reminding him all too well of his former 'glory days'. He barely recognised himself anymore – how had things gone so horribly wrong over the years?

"Freddie Benson!"

Freddie Benson turned around sharply and gazed into the eyes of an elderly man standing behind him. A stranger, wearing a grey janitorial uniform of sorts and smiling affectionately at him.

"Do I know you?" Freddie asked blankly, trying to read the old man's expression.

"No! But I know you. You were the man on campus during high school, but you never quite lived up to your potential afterwards, did you? Sooner or later, you all come back to the old school and stare at the pictures of the 'glory days', wondering what might've been." The elderly man answered philosophically while leaning comfortably against the top of the mop in his hand.

Freddie said nothing in response, but continued staring at his own youthful face through the glass case, pondering on the janitor's words.

"I bet if you could, you'd do it all over again, wouldn't ya?" the elderly man asked in a sympathetic tone.

"You got that right." Freddie replied assuredly.

A bell sounded somewhere in the lonely hallway, signifying the end of class for the day.

"You're sure about that?" the elderly janitor asked tentatively, staring steadily at Freddie's features.

"Oh yeah," Freddie replied pensively, never taking his eyes off of the old basketball picture once.

The janitor seemed satisfied with Freddie's answer because he started smiling secretively to himself.

"Dad!"

Freddie turned to his right and caught sight of his oldest daughter, Corrie, coming towards him with her three best friends in tow. Sometimes, he had to stop himself from staring too intently at her; she looked just like Carly did when she was 17 years old: same wavy black hair, same dark brown eyes, same smile (when she cared to smile). But where Carly had always been perky, Corrie was the opposite: broody and rebellious to the point of flamboyance.

"Hey, Mr. Benson!" Corrie's girlfriends greeted brightly in unison.

"Hi, girls. Hi, Corrie." Freddie greeted back cordially with a small wave of his hand.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Corrie asked in mortification.

"Oh, I was just talking to…" Freddie trailed off when he looked behind him and realised that the janitor was no longer around.

"…nobody. Anyway, doesn't matter. Listen, I got off work early, I thought we could go get some pie or something." He continued in more of an upbeat manner.

"What, like together? In public?" Corrie questioned in horror.

"Well, they generally don't let you eat the pie while it's still in the oven, sweetheart." Freddie pointed out drolly.

"But why?" Corrie demanded disbelievingly.

"Just go get your brother." Freddie suggested wearily.

Corrie groaned audibly and Freddie glanced briefly up at the ceiling.

* * *

Freddie, Corrie and Matt (his and Carly's youngest son) ended up somewhere near Kennedy Square at a little pie shop called 'Gallini's', which lay in close proximity to Bushwell Plaza, where Carly and Freddie had grown up together once upon a time. The place brought back memories of when Freddie, Sam, Carly and Spencer used to frequent the booth in the corner of the pie shop, haggling over the last piece of Gallini's famous Coconut-Cream Pie. It had remained a favourite of both Freddie and Carly's while they had been dating and even later when they had gotten married. But it had been several years since Freddie had last been here, especially with the kids.

Gallini's seemed to be quite popular, particularly with young couples and their kids, who sat around Freddie, Corrie and Matt, chattering away excitedly and laughing uproariously. Freddie sighed at Corrie's look of utter boredom.

"Corrie, what's wrong? You used to love coming here," Freddie protested sadly.

"Yeah, when I was still 8 years old, maybe." Corrie retorted pointedly.

She rolled her eyes and shoved her earphones in her ear, switching her iPod on. Freddie shook his head and turned his attention to Matt, who sat across from him, playing on a portable video game console. While Corrie looked more like Carly, Matt resembled Freddie, albeit taller than Freddie when he was 15 years old. But he had light brown hair like Freddie and the same hazel-coloured eyes. And he was more quiet and reserved like Freddie had been at that age, before he was introduced to the world of basketball and found confidence in something he was surprisingly good at.

"Matty-Matt!" Freddie exclaimed brightly, an attempt at bravado while slapping his hands enthusiastically against the table to get Matt's attention.

Matt stared quizzically back at his dad, unsure of what to make of his sudden joviality.

"How are things going with school?" Freddie asked curiously.

"Good, Dad. I got an 'A' on my last pop quiz for Chemistry." Matt informed Freddie stoically.

"That's great, son. You know, basketball season's coming up soon. You been working on that outside shot of yours?" Freddie questioned in business-like fashion.

"Uh huh." Matt answered rapidly.

"Passing?"

"Good."

"Dribbling?"

"Really good."

"Well good's not gonna get you a scholarship, Matt." Freddie replied reprovingly.

"I mean, it's great. All of it's really great, Dad." Matt amended, a plastered smile on his face, hoping Freddie would lay off.

"That's my boy. Always remember: it's not how big you are." Freddie advised reasonably.

"It's how big you play." Matt concluded quickly without looking up from his video game, having heard this song and dance for most of his life.

"That's the stuff. Up top, Matt." Freddie implored, holding his hand for a high-five with a grin on his face.

Instead of high-fiving his dad, Matt decided to change the subject.

"Hey, Dad, guess what? Corrie got into Stamford." Matt announced, feigning excitement.

Freddie's eyes lit up at this news while he stared at his oldest daughter with pride.

"Corrie, that's fantastic! Congratulations, sweetheart." Freddie responded sincerely while beaming widely.

Corrie paid Freddie absolutely no attention, miming playing drums on the table while listening to her iPod.

"Corrie, could you turn down your earphones, please?" Freddie asked impatiently.

When Corrie continued ignoring him, Freddie leant over and unplugged her earphones from the iPod jack. He frowned in confusion when Corrie continued miming the playing of certain instruments while lip-synching. Corrie finally opened her eyes and gave Freddie a lop-sided grin, showing off pearly whites. Freddie was not amused to say the least.

"Just kidding around, Dad." Corrie remarked facetiously.

"Good one." Freddie retorted sarcastically.

He was beginning to feel like he'd missed the tutorial on understanding kids a long time ago.

* * *

After their uneventful hour at Gallini's, Freddie drove the kids home, his head in a daze. More clouds had begun forming across the Seattle sky; it wouldn't be long before it started raining. The minute Freddie parked the car in the driveway, both Corrie and Matt leapt out of the backseat like it was on fire and jogged towards the front door without a backward glance.

"Ok, kids. I'll talk to you later. Love you!" Freddie called out hopefully, but to no avail.

"Nice…chatting with you," he added glumly, kicking moodily at a pebble beneath his shoe.

Freddie leant against the hood of the car and gazed into space for a few more seconds. His pensive mood was interrupted by what sounded like a chain-saw cutting through the silence in the neighbourhood like a foghorn. Freddie looked to his left and stared dumbstruck over the fence at a tree falling over abruptly within the backyard. Freddie took off his sunglasses and began jogging haphazardly inside the backyard.

He laid eyes on Carly with her back to him, loading a host of strange objects into some kind of enormous garbage disposal unit, which was quickly turning the said objects into little more than fine sawdust. She was wearing a deep purple sweater with a pair of faded blue jeans and a pair of black rubber boots, a pair of plastic protective glasses over her eyes, a pair of protective gloves on her hands and a pair of mufflers over her ears. Based on her current attire, Freddie was reminded all too forcefully of that fateful day when Carly had told him she was pregnant with Corrie.

"Hey! W-what the…what the hell are you doing?" Freddie called out, but to no avail.

Carly was far too engrossed in her current activity, heaving what looked like a dark brown leather bowling bag into the shredder.

"Hey, that's my stuff!" Freddie exclaimed furiously.

Carly turned around and caught sight of Freddie standing there. But instead of stopping, she continued unloading more of his possessions into the shredder as if he wasn't there.

"Carly, why are you destroying our yard?" Freddie questioned frankly with his hands deep in his pockets.

"It's not our yard anymore! It's my yard, remember?" Carly pointed out, matching his tone while dispensing of an old pair of running sneakers too.

"You took the road less taken and I got the yard, Freddie." She added grimly while wiping sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.

Then she finally moved towards the gigantic piece of machinery and switched it off, the loud humming noise dissipating instantly.

"I'm gonna turn the backyard into a showpiece for my clients." Carly explained calmly while turning to face Freddie.

"Clients of what?" Freddie asked blankly.

"Landscape design."

"_Landscape design?" _

"That's right, landscape design. I'm gonna show people what I can do." Carly concluded seriously, brushing past Freddie to take her gloves off.

"Well, the divorce isn't final for another two weeks, so you really have no right, Carly…" Freddie trailed off.

Carly turned around sharply on the balls of her heels to stare incredulously at Freddie, a blazing look in her brown eyes.

"I have no right? Really, Freddie? I've spent 18 years of my life listening to you bitch and moan about all the things you could've done with your life if I weren't in it, and I have no right? No, Freddie, you have no right." Carly responded, an accusing finger pointed directly at Freddie's chest.

Freddie regretted the words the second they came out of his mouth, knowing how close Carly was to becoming emotional in that moment. He tried a different tack instead.

"I didn't mean it like that. It's just that I put a lot of work into this yard…" he explained tentatively.

Carly let out a derisive laugh at this and looked Freddie dead in the eye.

"You put a lot of work into this yard? You mean, like the barbeque pit?" Carly questioned dangerously.

Freddie followed her gaze to the brick barbeque which was only completed halfway, numerous other bricks lying haphazardly in an untidy heap around it.

"Yeah." Freddie answered uncertainly.

"Well, the way I remember that day, you spent a whole hour working on the pit before you gave it up as a bad job. Then you spent the next two days after that complaining about how you could've hired a handyman to build it for you if you'd gone to college." Carly pointed out simply.

"I don't think it was two days." Freddie replied stupidly.

"What about that hammock over there?" Carly continued on in her 'judge-and-executioner' tone of voice.

"I think you gave up on that one because you just…stopped trying altogether." She concluded morosely while staring at the sorry sight of the half-finished hammock.

"Try to see things from my perspective, Carly. I am extremely disappointed with the way my life turned out. I used to be somebody back in high school! I had hopes and dreams, things to work towards back then. And then all of that way went away the day you told me you were…" Freddie trailed off in alarm, realising he'd gone too far.

But it was too late to take it back. Carly had gotten the gist of what he'd been about to say, and she stiffened at the insinuation.

"The day I told you what, Freddie? That I was pregnant? I never asked you to marry me." Carly answered as patiently as she could muster in the moment.

"Yeah, but I did anyway." Freddie spat without thinking.

Now he really had gone too far. But instead of throwing back any insults, Carly retreated further into herself, hot burning tears forming in her eyes.

"Well, now you don't have to do me any favours. We're not gonna hold each other back anymore, Freddie…" Carly trailed off, sniffling quietly against the torrent of tears threatening to fall.

"Carly, I…" Freddie began meekly, but Carly cut him off.

"I'll see you at court – at the trial…" she trailed off morosely, her back to Freddie while she struggled to keep more tears from spilling down her cheeks.

Just as Freddie was about to place a hand on Carly's shoulder, he was interrupted by the sound of screeching tires in the driveway.

Sam hopped out of her red vintage Ford Mustang GT and shut the door behind her with a loud clang. She advanced down the driveway like she owned the place, her hips swaying from side to side while she walked. She was wearing a brown leather jacket over a white long-sleeved sweater, faded blue jeans, black leather boots and a pair of big-rimmed mirror sunglasses resting atop her mane of curly-blonde hair, which reached down to her waist.

"CAR-LAAY!" Sam called out in a booming voice.

"Sam, you came!" Carly exclaimed happily, forgetting momentarily about hers and Freddie's argument while she ran to greet her best friend.

Sam smiled broadly and engulfed her best friend in a bear hug, her hands going around Carly's back while she held her tightly.

"Of course I came. What kind of Matron of Honour would I be if I didn't hold your hand during the divorce?" Sam asked warmly after kissing Carly affectionately on the cheek.

"You know, we're not divorced yet." Freddie griped irritably in spite of himself while he stood with his hands deep in his pockets.

"Don't worry, Cupcake. We're gonna get you through this. The first divorce is always the hardest; trust me, Momma knows." Sam chided softly while rubbing Carly's back soothingly.

She finally turned her attention on Freddie and rolled her eyes while making a show of shuddering pointedly.

"Fredward," she spat malevolently by way of greeting.

"Samantha," Freddie hissed, matching her tone.

"It's Sam, you nub." Sam growled menacingly.

"I don't care," Freddie snapped dismissively.

Sam rolled her eyes yet again and steered Carly towards the patio door, her hand on her best friend's shoulder while they walked.

"Come on, let's get going. No more moping around; it's time we got you back on the market." Sam declared optimistically.

"Yeah, I'm a real catch, Sam. I'm a single mom with two teenage kids and dirt caked under my fingernails." Carly responded sardonically.

"Stop talking crazy, Carly-Bear. You look even better now than you did when we first started shooting iCarly. You've got the butt of a 12-year old boy." Sam protested winningly.

"Oh, that's great. I hope our impressionable 17-year old daughter heard that." Freddie replied sarcastically, his comment directed at Carly.

Sam quelled herself from hitting Freddie in the head by choosing to shoot daggers at him before walking ahead of Carly through the patio door. Carly lingered ever so slightly and turned around to stare at Freddie once more, a wistful expression on her face.

"Bye, Freddie." She greeted slowly.

And then she was gone, shutting the patio door quietly behind her and shutting Freddie out completely in more ways than one.

"Bye." Freddie croaked hoarsely, feeling more alone than when he first woke up that morning.

All he could do was stand there for a few seconds longer, replaying the look of sadness etched on Carly's face, the one that he'd caused. Yet it only made her more beautiful in his eyes, causing the dull ache in his chest to burn with more poignancy. Hadn't he promised her that he would always take care of her, that he would never break her heart? Baby or no baby, she'd always been the one person that he swore he would never hurt. Yet, here they were, on the verge of getting a divorce and moving on from each other. Freddie had never anticipated living without Carly until now, when a home, a family and the love of his life were no longer in reach.

Freddie didn't even notice the sky darkening overhead, the movement of clouds accelerated by his continuous melancholy. He gave a start when the tiniest of raindrops landed square on his forehead. He wiped it off hurriedly with the back of his head as more of its kind began pelting him mercilessly. Giving up on shielding himself as a lost cause, Freddie continued standing on the lawn, rain falling down all around him, the perfect substitute for unshed tears.

* * *

The sun had set a short while later and the rain was still coming down in huge torrents. The Seattle sky was illuminated with violent streaks of white lightning, amplified by the storm raging on throughout the city. Freddie found himself behind the wheel of his car, staring straight ahead while he drove along the highway. The window-wipers were working on overdrive while they tried to keep the windscreen free from pelting rain while the radio frequency was becoming more and more scrambled with the storm's intensity. But Freddie paid no attention to either one, his prematurely-wrinkled face shining with the brightness of the lightning outside.

He wasn't heading back to Gibby's; he wasn't exactly sure where he was going and he didn't care either. Today had been the end of a great many things: the end of a career in a prominent pharmaceutical company and the end of his marriage. Ultimately, Freddie knew which one he regretted more while he sped along the wet road beneath him.

It was somewhere in-between crossing the bridge and listening to the garbled frequency of the radio in the car when Freddie saw a strange sight in passing. He could've sworn that he'd just seen the outline of a man standing on the narrow parapet beyond the bridge's railing, looking like he was getting ready to jump into the river. Freddie instinctively slammed his foot down on the brakes and brought his car to a staggering halt. He turned the ignition off and leapt out of the car as he began jogging forward. He knew it was pure lunacy, but he couldn't just drive past and ignore the possibility of someone committing suicide on a night like this in good conscience.

"Hey, get away from there!" Freddie yelled frantically, trying desperately to get the man's attention.

The man turned around and Freddie gasped loudly, recognising him instantly. It was the janitor from Ridgeway – the elderly man who resembled Santa Claus with the mysterious twinkle in his eye. And he was smiling broadly in Freddie's direction, like he was enjoying a day at the racetrack instead of trying to jump off a bridge in the middle of a storm.

"Is this guy nuts?" Freddie asked himself wonderingly, debating his next move.

Freddie stepped out of harm's way when a large city bus came speeding over the bridge, splashing rain water all over his sodden work clothes. Freddie spat out a mouthful of water and wiped water out of his eyes before staring at the bridge once more. His eyes widened in horror when he realised that the elderly janitor was no longer standing on the parapet.

"No, no, NOOOO!" Freddie cried out sharply.

He began sprinting frantically and didn't stop till he reached the metallic railing. He lifted half of his body over the edge to see where the man had fallen. But it was next to impossible to see beyond the swirling water, gathering together like a whirlpool below the bridge. And then another streak of lightning cut across the water's surface at that moment, causing Freddie to emit another loud gasp. Several meters below him, he could make out the faintest outline of a face (which looked like a hologram) outlined in the tumultuous waves. It was a youthful face which stared back up at him, one that he hadn't seen in a long time.

It was a face that looked just like his when he was a teenager.

"What the hell?" Freddie murmured in awe, transfixed by the face before him.

He wasn't even aware that he had been steadily leaning dangerously over the edge of the railing, succumbing slowly to his irrational need to take a closer look at the image. Then Freddie's foot slipped right over and he was falling, faster and faster through the sky. Freddie's yell of terror was swallowed up completely when he finally made contact with the water. And then he began sinking into the depths of the swirling whirlpool with the nightmarish reflection of the youthful boy painted beneath its waves, till he vanished completely.

* * *

**Author's Note: Quite a long chapter, but it was important to get all of this down in one go before moving onto the next chapter. I've never seen so many page breaks in a single chapter of a story in my entire life (lol). I must apologise if any of you think I'm deliberately going out of my way to make Freddie look like a bad guy in this story when the truth is that...I am. But it's only for a little while, Freddie will always have some redeeming qualities, which will be portrayed in this story for those of you who've never seen the film before. In advertently trying to stop a man from committing suicide, has Freddie himself fallen to his own death? Stay tuned when we return next week to yet another episode of "Whimsical Ramblings" by Snapplelinz. I hope you all have a great weekend, cheerio!**


	3. The Transformation

**Author's Note: Hey, everybody! I hope you've all had a splendid week. Mine could've been better (a lot on the 'meh' side), but at least the weekend has finally arrived, so there's always a silver lining. This next blurb will probably put me straight on 'The Public Enemy' list, but it has to be said. To any Seddie fans who happen to be reading this story (or any of my other Creddie stories), I'm gonna have to ask you (should you decide to review) to keep your comments as constructive as possible and relevant to the actual content of the story. I understand that you don't like Creddie, but it might actually just be better if you avoided any stories that have obvious Creddie (or 'Cruddie' as you so aptly put it) in the plot line. I don't want to have to delete any more anonymous reviews just because they don't *ahem* make any sense. With that said, this chapter's just for you, baronvonmilo. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly or the plot line from 17 Again.  
**

* * *

For Freddie Benson, he seemed to be floating in the water for hours. But in reality, it was only several minutes before his head re-emerged above the surface, his gasp of surprise deflated by copious amounts of mud trapped in his mouth. With the little strength he had, he managed to do a weak doggy-paddle all the way back towards the river bank, where he collapsed into unconsciousness on the rain-sodden shoreline.

When Freddie finally came to, the sun was already rising faintly in the distance, signalling the beginning of a new day. When he had gotten his breath back sufficiently, he trudged painstakingly back towards his car, which was exactly where he had left it the night before. With a few turns of the key in the ignition, the engine finally roared to life and Freddie made it across the bridge.

The car engine finally cut off into silence when Freddie parked his car haphazardly in Gibby's driveway. Then he exited the car, one muddy footstep at a time. He really was a sorry sight to behold; his clothes and face were completely caked in mud. Freddie definitely wanted to take a shower, but the idea of removing his muddy clothes and depositing them somewhere in Gibby's home didn't appeal that much to him. And the less questions that Gibby asked him, particularly about the events of last night, the better it would be for him.

Freddie still couldn't make any sense of what had become of the old janitor. Had he really jumped off the bridge? Or did he imagine the entire thing? Freddie still had no idea; all he knew for certain was that a hot shower would give him enough presence of mind to decide on whether he had to call the police to go check out the bridge.

He hopped into the shower (clothes and shoes still on) and removed the shower nozzle from its holster. Then he turned on the water and began slowly siphoning the mud off his clothing until the water ran brown into the drain. When Freddie was satisfied that he'd gotten all the mud of his clothes, he stepped out of the shower and onto the plastic floor mat so that he wouldn't make any wet splotches on the floor.

Which put him right in front of the bathroom mirror.

Freddie locked eyes with his reflection and had to blink several times. It felt like something was in his eye, so he kept blinking and blinking, trying desperately to dislodge the thing keeping him from seeing his face. Because the face he was currently looking at in the mirror just didn't seem possible.

And the memories of the night before hit him like a ton of bricks. It was the face he had seen in the swirling water, staring blankly back at him right before he had fallen in and nearly drowned. What was going on? Was the face trapped in Gibby's mirror? How did it follow him all the way back here?

That's when Freddie finally chanced a look downwards and gasped. He expected to see his hands (which had grown slightly pudgier over time) resting at his sides. What he saw instead were thin, nimble fingers attached to small and strong hands, fitted with skin that wasn't lined or wrinkled, but soft and smooth. That's when he realised that his work clothes that he'd been wearing yesterday didn't fit his body. His body seemed to have shrunk dramatically, making his clothes seem impossibly baggy on him.

And then his hands went to his face, fingers tracing the smooth contours of his cheeks and sifting through shaggy brown hair that hadn't been there yesterday either. It was his face, his body, all of it changed and youthful from when he was a teenager.

"Don't freak out, Freddie. You're just having a dream – a really elaborate dream." Freddie declared firmly to himself, even though his knees were shaking beneath him.

"You're gonna put your hand to your cheek and then you're gonna pinch it. If it doesn't hurt, then you're definitely having a dream. And then you'll wake up." He continued while staring at himself in the mirror.

"1…2…3." Freddie counted right before gripping a piece of his flesh firmly between his fingers and pulled.

"Ow!" he cursed right before clutching his face in agony.

His face was still the same, robust and smirking back at him through the mirror.

And then it hit him.

This wasn't a dream.

This was real.

Freddie emitted a loud and terrifying scream which shook the entire house, which was sure to wake the neighbours. But he didn't care while he continued clutching his face and body in horror.

Gibby, who'd been asleep in his replica Galaxy Wars cruiser bed, opened his eyes wide at the sound of a scream in close proximity.

"There's an intruder in the house," Gibby mumbled frantically to himself, his brain finally computing his shock and confusion.

With moves like a jungle cat, he quickly hopped out of his bed and performed a complex combat roll. Then he got to his feet and dislodged a battle-axe and a bronze helmet hanging on the wall. And then he was situated in the hallway, a few meters away from the bathroom, the sounds of screaming louder in his ears now. He crept silently down the hall and nearly bypassed Freddie, who was still staring at his appearance in the bathroom mirror.

"I can't believe this, it's really me. Only it's not me, it's me when I was 17. Or 18." Freddie rambled on frantically.

Then he got the fright of his life when he encountered Gibby in the bathroom, sporting a bronze helmet and carrying a battle-axe in his hand.

"Hey, Gibby. You're not gonna believe this, but something really weird happened to me last night –"

"Intruder! Thief!" Gibby cried out manically before charging Freddie.

"No, no! Gibby, it's me, Freddie!" Freddie tried, but was forced to duck out of the way when the extremely sharp blade of the pick-axe bounced off of the marble bathroom sink with a loud clanging noise.

The more that Freddie tried to reason with Gibby, the less Gibby seemed to listen. As the axe made contact with the wall in the hallway, Freddie decided to defend himself better. He grabbed hold of a metallic shield off the wall and brought it flat across his chest to ward off Gibby's assault, who came at him this time with metal numb-chucks. They made it all the way across the landing on the second floor, getting dangerously close to the wooden railing.

Gibby had Freddie backed up right against the railing and charged forward with his weapon of choice in hand. Freddie only had a second of warning to spin out of the way, but watched in horror as Gibby sailed right over the railing onto the ground floor below. Freddie looked over the edge in alarm at Gibby, who lay sprawled out on his back, moaning and groaning in pain.

"Gibby!" Freddie called out in alarm.

Without thinking twice, he hopped over the railing and landed gracefully on his feet. Realising the height he had jumped from, Freddie began grinning happily and marvelling at his sudden strength.

"Wow, this is amazing. I feel great." He murmured distractedly while looking at his hands.

Sensing the intruder's digression, Gibby took the opportunity to roll away from him, grab the carpet he stood on and rip it out from underneath him, causing his assailant to land on his back with a loud smack. Before Freddie could stop him, Gibby ran around the corner of the ground floor, grabbing a medieval sword hanging on the wall.

"No, Gibby!" Freddie reasoned, but was forced to grab a wooden spear from the coffee table in defence as Gibby charged him once again.

Try as he might, Gibby's persistence was paying off and he reduced Freddie's spear to little more than firewood. The last blow caused Freddie to fall into a leather chair located in the corner of the room. As Gibby charged once more, Freddie rotated the chair so that the blade missed him, gouging a hole right through the upholstery.

"Aargh!" Freddie exclaimed, shrieking at the blade which had embedded itself a few inches away from the headrest on the chair.

Before Gibby could strike again, Freddie jumped out of the chair, leapt over the coffee table and scaled the foos-ball table located near the patio door all in one fell swoop. Gibby, who had retreated to another corner of the room, returned once more with a light-saber in his hand.

"Gibby, stop!" Freddie pleaded from behind the foos-ball table.

Gibby ignored him and swung at his head, missing Freddie by inches as he ducked behind the foos-ball table.

"It's me, Gibby! It's Freddie!" Freddie tried again before ducking back behind the table.

He managed to push a lever out of the foos-ball, hitting Gibby in the stomach and winding him momentarily. Freddie ran past him and grabbed another light-saber from the umbrella stack.

"Gibby, I'm telling you right now, stop with this craziness!" Freddie yelled impatiently.

Gibby stopped short and eyed Freddie's particular weapon of choice. Freddie didn't like the look in his best friend's eye while he glanced down at his own weapon.

"I see your choice of defence is an elegant weapon…from a more civilised time." Gibby began in an ethereal voice.

Gibby pressed a button on his light-saber, causing a long beam of red light to erupt from the handle. Freddie rolled his eyes in response at Gibby's facetiousness, but responded in kind, a blue beam shooting out from the handle. And then Freddie began the same song-and-dance, trying to convince Gibby that he wasn't an intruder while trying to stop his best friend from killing him.

"Gibby, it's me, Freddie Benson! Your best friend!" Freddie implored urgently.

"Oh yeah? Prove it!" Gibby hissed menacingly while blocking one of Freddie's blows with the light-saber.

"Principal Franklin had you tested for guessing that there were 5 Fat Cakes in a jar to win Locker 239 at Ridgeway!" Freddie protested emphatically.

"That appeared in an article in "Education Editorial"! The entire schooling district had access to that publication!" Gibby fumed impatiently.

"You once took off your shirt and danced on a table at The Cheesecake Warehouse to get a girl to go out with you!" Freddie tried loudly.

"That was in every copy of _The Seattle Times_ the next morning!" Gibby retorted defiantly.

"Sam Puckett gave you a wedgie while you were wearing a trash-can during an episode of iCarly!" Freddie yelled shrilly.

"It's a web-show! Anyone could've seen that! It's Google-able!" Gibby roared indignantly.

Both of them turned around on the spot, their light-sabers colliding in mid-air, lasers crashing together in a cataclysmic siren in the living room. Freddie finally managed to gain the upper hand and aimed a blow at Gibby's chest, causing him to fall backwards. Then Freddie drew back his light-saber and swung forward again, sweeping Gibby's feet right out from underneath him, sending him careening onto the hard wooden floor.

"Wait, wait!" Gibby pleaded painstakingly, holding his hands up in surrender.

"I can't breathe, I can't breathe!" he murmured hoarsely while gasping loudly.

Freddie dropped his stance when he saw his best friend's humbled position. Gibby smiled weakly at him and held out his hand to him, silently imploring him to help him to his feet. Just as Freddie let down his guard and moved forward, Gibby aimed a well-placed kick at Freddie's groin, sending Freddie onto his back in agony. Then Gibby sprinted towards a glass cabinet and grabbed a hefty photo frame made out of chiselled marble and ran at Freddie.

"Oh my God, my balls." Freddie complained, on the point of sobbing.

"Gibby, no." he pleaded when he saw Gibby advancing on him with the photo frame in hand, ready to smash his head in.

Gibby emitted a roar while preparing to hit Freddie, but stopped short when he saw what photo he had taken from his cabinet. It was a picture of him and Freddie taken nearly 18 years ago dressed in royal blue robes, wearing matching blue hats on their heads and carrying diplomas in their hands. It was their day of graduation from Ridgeway and he and Freddie were smiling broadly, their arms around each other's shoulders. Then he glanced down at the intruder lying at his feet, who looked just like his best friend when he was 17 years old.

"Oh my God," Gibby whispered in awe while staring down at his best friend, finally recognising him for who he truly was.

In his state of horror, he inadvertently dropped the marble photo frame onto Freddie's head, knocking him out cold.

* * *

30 minutes later, Freddie and Gibby sat around the kitchen table. On the table surface were hundreds of books of every kind: encyclopaedias, comic books, graphic novels and even a few pop-up fairy-tale books just for good measure. To alleviate the pain in his groin and head, Freddie had retrieved two ice packs from the freezer and placed them appropriately on the throbbing parts of his body. To soothe the pain in his head from falling off the landing, Gibby had tied a bag of frozen peas around his neck like a collar. Freddie scowled at Gibby, who had been staring him unblinkingly for a good 3 minutes.

"Gibby, would you please stop staring?" Freddie asked abashedly.

"I'm sorry, man. I'm just a little freaked out right now." Gibby admitted hoarsely.

"Well, I'm freaked out too. I'm pubescent." Freddie pointed out hysterically before stopping himself short.

Gibby paused for a long time before deciding on his next course of action.

"Well, as you can see from our consultation, the changes you're exhibiting have appeared time and time again in the literature," Gibby began soberly with a wave of his hand at the multitude of books on the kitchen table.

"Now I must ask: Freddie…have you been hit by a gamma ray at any time in the past 24 hours?" Gibby questioned gravely.

"No, Gibby." Freddie answered irritably.

"Are you a vampire of some sort?"

"Not the last time I checked."

"How old are you?"

"17."

"And how long have you been 17?"

"I don't know! Give or take about 20 minutes, Gibby!" Freddie snapped impatiently.

"Okay, I guess we can rule out 'vampire' then." Gibby returned in somewhat of a snubbed tone.

"Now…have you now or ever been a time-travelling cyborg sent from the future?" Gibby asked cryptically.

"Gibby, if I were either of those things, don't you think I would've told you by now?" Freddie demanded sarcastically.

"Vampire wouldn't tell. Cyborg wouldn't know." Gibby responded assuredly, causing Freddie to slap his forehead in exasperation.

"Gibby, could we please be serious here for a minute? What's my next move while I'm 'like this'?" Freddie queried anxiously while glancing down at his youthful body.

"As far as I can tell, an individual only undergoes a transformation like this when there's some kind of lesson to be learnt. And the life lesson is usually administered by some kind of spirit guide." Gibby continued in a professional manner.

"A 'spirit guide'?" Freddie asked quizzically.

"Yes, a spirit guide, Freddie. A spirit guide is a type of mentor to the person who is 'transformed', someone who guides the protagonist along the right path while they remain in their particular form." Gibby explained succinctly.

"And what exactly is the right path here?" Freddie questioned in bewilderment.

"What do I look like, your spirit guide? I don't know, Freddie! The right path can be any road, any avenue that you're supposed to be on. Metaphorically speaking of course." Gibby fumed in exasperation.

"Ok, I'm sorry, Gibby. So… every person has their own special spirit guide?" Freddie asked in a gentler tone.

"Something like that."

"Was does a spirit guide look like?"

"The spirit guide can take on any form: a beautiful woman, a young child, an old man..."

Freddie did a double-take at the mention of 'an old man'. His mind's eye inadvertently led him to back to the image of one person in particular.

"The janitor," he murmured in awe while staring off into space.

"…a wise-cracking leprechaun with funny brownies…" Gibby continued before Freddie cut him off.

"Gibby, it was the janitor I talked to at Ridgeway yesterday! He was an old guy: long white beard, weird twinkle in his eye. I've gotta go to the school now and try to find him. Thanks!"

And with that, Freddie sprinted out of the kitchen, leaving Gibby to muse over what his friend had just told him.

"The janitor. Interesting." He whispered in an ethereal voice while adjusting the frozen bag of peas still tied around his neck.

* * *

Freddie drove back to Ridgeway in record time. He found the closest parking spot to the main entrance and parked his car haphazardly. He got several frowns and quizzical stares from a couple of students he passed in the hallway, but he was too focused on his mission to care. As the bell rang overhead and more people began flooding the hallway, Freddie decided to stop a few of them to ask them some questions.

"Excuse me, have you seen the janitor?"

"I'm looking for the janitor, do you know where he is?"

"Have you seen the janitor? He's about 5 foot something, pot-belly, white beard, twinkle in his eye like Santa Claus. Anybody?"

Judging by his appearance, Freddie couldn't blame the students he approached for avoiding him. He knew that he looked like he'd been swimming around in a mud bath, but he couldn't focus on that now. He had to find the janitor.

Just then, he caught sight of a female janitor pushing a cleaning trolley in front of her.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

"Yes, can I help you?" the middle-aged female janitor asked politely.

"Yes. I'm looking for the janitor."

"I'm the janitor."

"The other janitor," Freddie clarified.

"Son, I'm the only janitor at this school."

"No, there was another janitor here yesterday, an elderly man. I talked to him while standing next to this trophy cabinet. We were both looking at this picture, this picture of me and my old basketball team." Freddie explained in an exasperated tone.

"You?" the janitor asked in alarm.

"Yes, me." Freddie replied rapidly while running a hand through his dishevelled hair.

"That can't be you. That picture was taken in 2010, nearly 18 years ago. You're just a kid." The janitor pointed out calmly.

Freddie gulped out air trapped in his throat when he realised the implication of his words.

"You're right, I'm sorry. Thank you…t-t-thank you so much." Freddie concluded in a shaky tone.

The female janitor gave Freddie one last sympathetic look before departing with her cleaning utensils, leaving him to his bewildered thoughts. Then another bell rang in the hall, signalling the start of another series of lectures. Freddie caught sight of Matt standing a few feet away, putting a set of books into his locker. A sudden impulse came over Freddie at the sight of his youngest son and he called out to him.

"Matt! Hey, buddy!" Freddie shouted happily.

Matt stared at him, widened his eyes and quickly scuttled away into a nearby class.

"What was that all about?" Freddie asked himself.

"I guess it doesn't matter what I look like. My kids still hate me," he muttered sarcastically while pounding a nearby locker with his fist in frustration.

That's when it him, he was a complete stranger now. Of course his son hadn't recognised him. But why he ran away so quickly (and in obvious fear), Freddie wasn't sure. He was distracted from that particular mystery when the lights above him began flickering, a humming noise reverberating overhead. Freddie glanced up in confusion and then looked down at his feet again. He frowned when he realised that he was standing in a puddle of water that hadn't been there a second ago.

While Freddie kicked water off of his loafers, he looked to his left and saw that the puddle had formed a thin trail, which carried on all the way down a badly lit hall. Curious, Freddie followed the tiny stream down a flight of stairs, till he stood in what looked like a locker room, a lone janitor's mop and bucket near his feet. His eyes widened in comprehension and he began glancing all around him.

"Hello? Is anybody down here?" Freddie asked of the room at large.

"S-spirit guide?" he called out, feeling like an idiot while cursing under his breath.

"If you can hear me, I need to know what the right path is. What am I supposed to do? I don't know what to do." Freddie continued, feeling more and more helpless as the seconds ticked away.

That's when he came to a door and heard the sounds of sneakers squeaking against a wooden floor and the swish of a muffled basketball. Freddie peered through a crack in the door and watched a group of teenage boys (much like himself) sprinting across a basketball, running drills by the looks of it. This was the boy's locker room where he had spent many a day in a lifetime ago, surrounded by friends and team mates who counted on him to deliver the winning shot every game. And through that door was his kingdom: the basketball court, his home away from home.

"That's it," Freddie breathed, sudden exhilaration sweeping through his chest.

* * *

"Ooh, can I get an 'ouch, that hurts'!" Gibby called out tauntingly.

He was still at home, having moved from the kitchen to his office. But it wasn't a regular office by any means. This particular workplace contained several computers (all state-of-the-art models naturally), TV screens (LCD and plasma models) and numerous video game consoles, each bearing the names of the biggest brand names in the gaming industry. He was sporting a high-tech head-set and currently in the midst of playing a particular video game in multi-player mode, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"Did I get shot or what? Oh yeah, that's right, I didn't get shot. I guess that means that you got powned, sucker! In your face, Jiminy-Bob from Omaha!" Gibby exclaimed obnoxiously.

Freddie suddenly rushed into the study, scaring Gibby out of his wits for a moment.

"Gibby!"

"Crap! Oh, right it's just you, Freddie. Well, teenage 'you' anyway." Gibby remarked dismissively before returning to his game.

"Gibby, I think I've figured it out, what I'm supposed to do. I know what my spirit guide wants me to do." Freddie began excitedly.

"I'm going back."

When Gibby made no response save to keep playing his video game, Freddie elaborated.

"I'm going back to high school, Gibby!"

This got Gibby's attention because he craned his neck to stare at Freddie over his shoulder with a wild-eyed look.

"What? No, no, no way! Freddie, there is no way that your spirit guide would waste perfectly good 'transformation magic' on you repeating senior year and going to prom. Nope, ask again later." Gibby responded confidently.

"Don't you get it, Gibby? This is my chance for a do-over. I get to live my life again, but the right way this time. Wouldn't you do the same thing if you had the chance?" Freddie persisted vehemently.

"Are you crazy, Freddie? No, I would not! And you wanna know why? Because my life is awesome just the way it is! I'm rich and no one gave me an Indian wedgie at school today, that's why!" Gibby retorted heatedly.

"Ok, fine. But this isn't just about me."

"Sure it's about you." Gibby rejoined assuredly.

"No, this is much bigger than me."

"It's about you."

"Ok, fine! Maybe it is about me!" Freddie fumed impatiently while pacing around the study.

"But what's wrong with that? Gibby, when was the last time I got to think about myself, my own needs before everyone else's? I'll tell you when: 2010." He added painstakingly.

Gibby ripped his headset out of his ears and wheeled around to face Freddie with a determined look in his eye.

"Ok, fine. You're dissatisfied with your life, I get it. You do what you have to do. But don't you even think about sucking me into another one of your crazy adventures, Freddie. Ridgeway was the bane of my existence, and I swore I would never go back to that God-forsaken place!" Gibby yelled furiously, pointing an accusing finger in Freddie's direction.

"And in case you didn't hear me the first time, I'll say it one more time for your benefit. NEVER EVER, EVER!" he exclaimed manically while hopping around in his seat.

And just for emphasis, Gibby kept at it, grabbing Freddie by the tie and pulling him close till they were eyeball to eyeball.

"NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVERRRR!"

* * *

"I hate you." Gibby whispered at Freddie, a sour expression on his face.

He stood next to Freddie in front of the secretary's desk in the main office at Ridgeway High School. And on the adjacent wall was a sign which said 'Late Registrations' in bold print.

"I know." Freddie answered stoically, a giant smirk on his face.

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope you all liked this Freddie/Gibby oriented chapter. A big thank you to PerennialKillJoy for helping me include the Twilight parody in the middle of the chapter (my apologies to any Twilight fans out there, I actually do like the series, it's all in good fun for comedy to prevail). And I hope I didn't offend anyone from Omaha either, just thought I'd get that off my chest. I'm going to introduce another iCarly character next chapter which I hope you all will really like. Thanks for all the reviews last week, you guys give me way more props than I probably deserve. I hope you all have an awesome weekend. Cheerio!**


	4. The Registration

**Author's Note: Hello, fellow iCarly fans! I hope you're all having an awesome weekend. Instead of doing something productive like working on an essay for class, I went to watch "Despicable Me" at the cinema instead, which was very cukey (Miranda for the win). I apologise that this is a short chapter. I'm deliberately making things short to keep sockstar's quips at bay (pitching a tent and camping for days, I ask you) about my long-ass chapters. I'll post the next chapter next week again**. **Ooh, and one minor note: just ignore certain 'iSpeed Date' canon while reading this, trust me. Now, onto the chapter, my pets...**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own iCarly or 17 Again. Dejavu...**

* * *

"I can't believe you dragged me into yet another one of your crazy schemes." Gibby hissed indignantly in Freddie's direction.

"Oh, don't be such a big baby, Gibby. This is gonna work, trust me." Freddie returned assuredly.

"Trust you, hmmph." Gibby muttered under his breath, but still loud enough for Freddie to hear.

"Hellooo," he greeted in a sing-song voice of the secretary in the high school office at Ridgeway.

"I'd like to enrol my son…Felix Gibson…here at Ridgeway," Gibby continued.

The secretary, a chunky woman in her mid-forties, was in the middle of a phone call. She locked eyes with Gibby momentarily and simply jerked her head sideways with a roll of her eyes towards the waiting area.

"So we should sit till you're ready for us? Ok then, that was helpful." Gibby muttered dryly in Freddie's ear as they sat down together.

"Hey, you ok?" Gibby asked of Freddie, who was looking decidedly pale.

"Yeah, just a little nervous." Freddie admitted softly to his best friend.

"This is gonna work." Gibby chided soothingly while clapping Freddie reassuringly on the shoulder.

Freddie smiled gratefully at Gibby. That's when Gibby took the time to look over Freddie's general appearance. He was wearing a very flashy baseball cap, which was decorated with all types of insignia of some remote gangster-rap artist. He was wearing a black tight-fitting T-shirt which hugged his body, which too was decorated with similar insignia as the cap, covering his shaggy brown hair. He was wearing extremely baggy blue jeans and a pair of NIKE Air Force Ones on his feet. And around his neck, he wore a very large gold chain with the letter 'A' on a pendent.

"What are you wearing?" Gibby inquired incredulously, looking Freddie up and down.

"Something very hip. This is what the cool kids are wearing these days, Gibby. I saw a picture of Justin Bieber wearing the exact same outfit in a copy of 'US Weekly'." Freddie informed Gibby with an air of smugness.

"Yeah well, Justin Bieber wears these particular kinds of outfit because he's a douche-bag. And you look like a total douche-bag too, Freddie." Gibby responded assuredly.

"I do not look like a douche! Well, what's with your outfit, Gibby? I told you to dress like a dad." Freddie countered indignantly.

"I am dressed like a dad." Gibby returned defensively, pointing down to his black turtleneck sweater, a leather waistcoat, black leather pants and leather boots, newly acquired blue highlights in his brown locks.

"No you're not. You look like Adam Lambert." Freddie declared snidely.

"Leave him out of this! Just look over your stupid transcripts!" Gibby hissed in a scandalised tone.

Freddie groaned and scanned through the contents of the file resting in his lap. True to his word, Gibby had conjured up a host of authentic-looking documents to avoid awkward questions about Freddie's sudden appearance at Ridgeway in the middle of the school year. But Freddie couldn't help having some misgivings about certain photographs that Gibby had photo-shopped of him shaking hands with former American president, Barack Obama and Kofi Anan, the former head of the UN. And then there were photo-shopped pictures of Freddie holding prizes given to him at fictitious Science Fairs as well as a picture of him hanging off a basketball hoop, which he felt sure he'd seen in a picture of 'Sports Illustrated' not too long ago.

"Gibby, are you sure this looks legit?" Freddie asked anxiously.

"Of course they look legit. Dude, do you know who you're talking to? I'm the guy who invented software that stops people from stealing music over the Internet. Of course, I'm also the guy who invented software that _helps_ people steal music from the Internet, but that's just a happy coincidence." Gibby answered abashedly.

Freddie raised an eyebrow when he retrieved a photo of Gibby photo-shopped into a scene taken from 'Galaxy Wars', fighting alongside Nug Nug.

"What is this?" Freddie asked of Gibby.

"Oh my God," he groaned dramatically when he found yet another photo of Gibby photo-shopped into 'Galaxy Wars', driving a space cruiser this time.

"No, that's wrong. These are for me, my personal…collection." Gibby stammered, grabbing the photos out of Freddie's hands.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Freddie murmured under his breath while pinching the bridge of his nose.

Just then, the secretary finished her call and addressed both Freddie and Gibby.

"Miss Baxter will see you now." She announced cordially with a wave of her hand towards the Principal's office.

"Thank you," Gibby and Freddie replied graciously as they approached the door of the Principal's office.

"Whatever you do, don't try to be funny, Gibby." Freddie advised gently.

"Ok."

"And try to say as little as possible."

Not looking where he was going, Freddie collided abruptly with a teenage boy his age. The boy in question was a mean-looking specimen: dirty and spiky blonde hair, steely blue eyes, a black hoodie with skinny black jeans and a menacing-looking wrist band with large spikes on them.

"Watch where you're going, tool-bag." The stranger hissed menacingly in Freddie's direction.

Freddie said nothing in response, but continued standing his ground, staring the teenage boy down with everything he had. The tension in the room was thick and fiery, as if the occupants were sitting atop an erupting volcano. Freddie couldn't explain the sudden rising of his temper, but he instinctively knew that he didn't like the look of this kid in front of him one bit.

"Sorry, that was our bad, young man. Step away from him, Felix." Gibby reasoned in a low voice in Freddie's ear to get him to calm down.

"Reed, get to class. Now." A female voice ordered sternly from the Principal's office.

Reed cracked his neck muscles and gave Freddie one last dangerous look before stalking out of the main office. Freddie watched him go before following Gibby into the principal's office. He was almost immediately stripped of any remaining annoyance with that Reed-kid when he and Gibby encountered Ridgeway's head honcho.

"Hello. I'm Tasha Baxter, principal here at Ridgeway High School." The principal greeted cordially from her desk.

Gibby, who had his back turned while closing the office desk behind him, stopped short at the sound of that heavenly voice and turned around to face the principal. Even Freddie was surprised. There was no way that this woman was the principal at Ridgeway; she was way too good-looking. She looked like she belonged in a swimsuit catalogue or on a New York catwalk, not policing high school kids.

_Hey sexy lady_

_I like your flow_

"Hi, nice to meet you." Freddie managed in as polite a voice as possible.

He glanced at Gibby and frowned at his best friend's vacant expression, looking like his brain had decided to take a vacation right then and there. Right now, his eyes were feasting on the most beautiful woman on earth. She had a mass of swirling honey-brown wavy hair, which went down to her shoulders. She had brown eyes, a cute button nose and the rosiest lips he'd ever had the fortune of seeing in reality.  
She was dressed fairly modestly: a white feminine blouse, but which hugged her abdomen and chest quite dramatically and a pencil gun-metal grey skirt with a small slit along her left thigh. And on those heavenly legs, she wore tanned pantyhose with black-strapped velvet heels.

_Your body's bangin'_

_Out of control_

While Freddie tried in vain to get Gibby's attention, Gibby in turn was playing a particular sassy saxophone musical score in his head, which suggested that meeting this vision of loveliness in a high school office was the last place he had in mind for a first encounter.

"Hello." Tasha greeted warmly, extending her hand towards Gibby.

"H-hello." Gibby croaked successfully.

_You put it on me_

_Ceiling to floor_

After swallowing a few more times, Gibby moved forward clumsily and took Tasha's dainty hand in his own and shook it vigorously. Freddie's smile faltered when he realised that Gibby had no intention of letting go of the principal's hand.

_Only you can make me_

_Scream and beg for more_

"Um, ok. I think we're good here." Tasha remarked, staring pointedly down at hers and Gibby's entwined hands before pulling hers out of his grasp.

"Sorry," Gibby apologised sheepishly.

"I think our hands just made a baby," he added in a dazed murmur.

Freddie's eyes widened to the size of saucers while staring incredulously at his best friend. Then he turned to face his future principal with an abashed grin on his face.

"You'll have to excuse my dad, Principal Baxter. He's not used to talking to attractive women on a regular basis." Freddie apologised smoothly.

"Thank you, Felix. That was very flattering and completely inappropriate all at once." Tasha thanked with only the slightest trace of sarcasm in her voice.

"Please have a seat." She implored gently with a wave of her hand towards two chairs in front of her desk.

Gibby and Freddie obliged and sunk down into their seats.

"Before we get started, there's something you should know, Ms. Baxter." Gibby began in a solemn tone.

"Yes, Mr. Gibson?" Tasha asked curiously.

"I think you should know that Felix is a bastard." Gibby answered simply.

Freddie chuckled loudly to cover up his sudden embarrassment at Gibby's bizarre behaviour.

"Excuse me?" Tasha asked wonderingly.

"Yes, a bastard. I had him out of wedlock, which means that I'm single. And very rich." Gibby responded casually with a leering grin on his face.

Gibby chuckled leisurely and Tasha followed suit, though not quite as humorously.

"Felix, did you bring your transcripts?" Tasha inquired in a professional voice, returning to the matter at hand.

"Yes, I sure did." Freddie answered eagerly, wanting to get out of the principal's office more than ever.

He handed Tasha the file of photographs and relevant documentation, which she perused quite intently for a few minutes.

"So, the last school you attended was Cutler High in Connecticut. Correct?"

"Correct."

"Well I must say, your grades are very impressive, Felix. Straight-A student, Math Club, Spanish Club, National Merit finalist…Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Champion." Tasha read out in surprise on the last part.

"Well, I don't like to brag, but…" Freddie trailed off in what he hoped was a winning tone before shooting Gibby a look of outrage for putting that in his fake file.

"Well, all things considered, I think that Ridgeway is very lucky to have you. Welcome aboard, Felix." Tasha concluded gaily, rising from her desk to shake Freddie's hand.

Gibby pumped his fist silently in the air at this announcement and got to his feet too.

"Thank you so much, Principal Baxter." Freddie thanked sincerely with a wide smile on his face.

Gibby smiled too and moved to shake Tasha's hand, but she just managed to shift her body to the side to avoid that. In answer to this, Gibby wordlessly raised his hand in the air.

"Yes, Mr. Gibson? You have a question?" Tasha asked courteously.

"Yes. Your hair is pretty." Gibby replied brightly with a click in Tasha's direction.

Freddie cursed under his breath and buried his face into the adjacent wall in shame.

"Thank you, Mr. Gibson. Not really a question, but I appreciate the compliment all the same." Tasha replied as cordially as possible.

"Would the lady mind if I smelled it?" Gibby questioned in a seedy tone.

"Mr. Gibson, I should probably tell you right now that I don't make a habit out of dating my students' parents." Tasha countered seriously, one hand resting on her hip.

"Well, Ms. Baxter, I should probably tell you in turn that I don't not make a habit out of dating the principal of my child." Gibby returned cleverly.

"Okay, Dad, time to go. Thank you again, Principal Baxter," Freddie interjected smoothly, placing a firm grip on Gibby's arm and steering him towards the door.

Tasha watched in exasperation as Freddie dragged Gibby out of the office and admonished him in a clipped undertone. Then she frowned when she heard what sounded like a thump against the wall outside her office door.

"Ow! I was just about to close!" Gibby growled indignantly.

Then Tasha got the fright of her life when Gibby's face suddenly appeared through the blinds on her office window, a leering grin etched on his face before Freddie dragged him away.

* * *

Freddie and Gibby were walking up a flight of stairs 5 minutes later, talking amongst themselves just as the bell rang for the end of the first period.

"I can't believe you're in the school, Freddie! I also can't believe you totally blocked back there with your super-hot principal! Didn't you see the way she was undressing me with her eyes?" Gibby demanded eagerly.

"Gibby, I really don't think that's what happened back there." Freddie countered dryly.

"Hey, check it out! There's some of Corrie's friends, I'm gonna say hi to them." He added, brightening up at the prospect of testing out his new identity.

"Hey, girls. How's it going?" Freddie greeted in a charming voice.

"Do I know you?" Jamie, an attractive blonde asked in a scornful tone.

"Seriously. What'd you do, mug Justin Bieber?" Lalita, another friend of Corrie's asked mirthfully.

Then the three girls laughed unabashedly amongst themselves while walking past Freddie and Gibby. Freddie stared down at his clothes in dismay while Gibby made a face like someone who had just witnessed the making of road-kill on a dirt road.

"Wow, that was really bad. Welcome to the bottom of the food chain, Freddie." Gibby murmured while clapping Freddie sympathetically on the back.

While Freddie continued to look extremely self-conscious, Gibby had a sudden brain wave.

"Ok, we can fix this. You always had my back in high school, so I'm gonna return the favour now. As long as you insist on being a fake teenager, your spirit guide would want me to help you in whatever way I can as your…fake dad. And the least I can do is make sure that my fake son doesn't look like a total douche." Gibby reasoned sensibly.

"I don't look like a douche, Gibby." Freddie protested vehemently.

"What a douche," a guy in passing commented malevolently.

Freddie shot the offending person a dirty look before turning to face Gibby again. Gibby in turn took his wallet out of his pocket and fished out a Black credit card.

"We're going shopping." Gibby concluded with an air of victory.

"Really?" Freddie questioned quizzically.

"Your shirt is bedazzled." Gibby noted dryly before walking back down the stairs.

"Bedazzled with rhinestones." Freddie corrected, following closely behind his best friend.

* * *

Shopping in Gibby terms ended up being a whole-day affair. By the time Gibby and Freddie got back to Gibby's place, both were completely spent and passed out on their beds upon arrival late in the evening. But by the time the following day had begun, Freddie was ready and amped. But this was mostly because of the car he would be arriving in when he entered Ridgeway.

He had left his old car in Gibby's garage and let Gibby splurge on a magnificent silver Audi R-8 model. The car rode like a dream and Freddie was perfectly at ease, driving through Seattle, his favourite songs blaring through the speakers.

_Hail Caesar shadow on my backseat_

When he finally arrived at Ridgeway for class, he received the welcome he had been expecting. Students in the parking lot stopped, stared and gaped openly at the car he showed up in while he found a prime parking spot right in front of the main entrance. Students were nudging one another and whispering about the owner of such a marvellous specimen of a car. They weren't kept in suspense for much longer when the engine finally died and Freddie got out his car.

_And her friends are standing right in front of me_

Gone were the 'douche clothing' of yesterday. Today, it was nothing but big brand names and trendy contemporary fashion styles for Freddie Benson. His shaggy brown hair was neatly combed and coifed, framing his oval face and complimented with a shimmering pair of Police sunglasses. He was wearing a leather jacket which complimented his tanned skin and hugged his upper torso, a plain white shirt underneath, black Levi jeans and black Converse on his feet. In short, he looked cool. Corrie's friends, who had mocked him shamelessly yesterday were now shamelessly ogling him. And just for a laugh, Freddie smiled a half-smile in their direction while getting his text books off of the back seat.

_And you don't have to make a sound_

'_Cause they got what you need_

_What you need_

"Wow. Let's go to school," Corrie's friend, Jamie, purred seductively while biting her bottom lip and watching Freddie walk away.

_Oh my_

_Feels just like I don't try_

_Look so good I might die_

_All I know is everybody loves me_

It seemed like people were inadvertently clearing a path for Freddie while he walked through the main entrance of Ridgeway. Unlike yesterday or the days leading up to this particular moment, Freddie had no fear whatsoever. All of his disgruntled disappointment and uncertainty about the future had been washed away completely in the space of 24 hours. No matter what happened today, Freddie knew that everything would work out.

_Head down_

_Swaying to my own sound_

_Flashes in my face now_

He was finally where he was supposed to be and the master of his own fate once again.

_All I know is everybody loves me_

_

* * *

_

**Musical References:**

**1) "Hey Sexy Lady" by Shaggy**

**2) "Everybody Loves Me" by OneRepublic**

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note: I hope you all liked this one. I especially had fun with introducing Tasha into the chapter (I made up her surname) and her interactions with Gibby. This is what I meant by ignoring certain iSD canon, since Gibby and Tasha haven't met in this story. As it turns out, Tasha Baxter is actually a South African singer, so I thought of her while writing for Tasha. Btw, has anyone seen pictures of Emily Ratajkowski (plays Tasha) outside of iCarly? If you haven't, google her right now and prepare to be 'bedazzled', I kid you not. I got my inspiration for Freddie's look in the final scene from Nathan Kress' appearance at the 'Make A Wish' charity event this year. I'm sorry if I offended anyone with my quips about Justin Bieber and Adam Lambert, it's all in good fun and not supposed to be insulting (well, not entirely), promise. I hope you all have a great night. Cheerio, my pets!**


	5. The Confrontation

**Author's Note: Hey, everybody! I hope you've all had a splendid week. Honestly, it hasn't been that productive a week for me. Don't know if that's a good thing or not, what with exams coming up in a month's time (hmmm). So this chapter is longer than last week's offerings, so that should appease Fanfic-Reader-88 (lol, just kidding, bro). CGK0113, I hope you like this new chapter, I thought of you while writing : )**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own 17 Again, iCarly or the awesome romantic pairing that is Creddie ; )  
**

* * *

After reaching the second floor where his first class of the day was located, Freddie ended his montage of cool walking and posing quite abruptly. Without warning, class doors opened all around him and students began flooding the hallway, hemming Freddie in from every side. The hustle and bustle threw Freddie off completely as he struggled to find his way to his home-room. Where were all these students going? Why the rush?

Freddie ended up knocking into a security guard, who gave him the 'evil-eye' in return.

"What are you looking at, punk?"

In his haste to get away, Freddie ended up colliding with a series of burly-looking football players, who began pushing him about.

"Watch where you're going, tool-bag!"

When Freddie finally got away from them, a door in front of him opened abruptly and hit him in the face.

"Sorry!" a young teenage girl apologised meekly.

Freddie mumbled a gracious reply and blinked several times to relieve the ringing in his head. To his intense relief, he finally made his way into his home-room.

"No cellphones, no texting." Mr. Harris, Freddie's home-room teacher, droned in a monotone, his eyes glued to the book he was reading.

Naturally, the students simply ignored him and continued chatting amongst themselves and texting relentlessly on their cellphones. Freddie found himself a seat somewhere in the centre of the room along the aisle and placed his backpack down at his feet. His heart skipped a beat when he caught sight of Corrie sitting a few paces away with her three best friends. He idly wondered what class Matt was in and whether he would see his younger son at all during the course of the day. While contemplating this, his new Pear-phone began ringing shrilly in his ears. Groping around in each of his pockets, Freddie eventually retrieved his cellphone and answered it.

"Hello?" he asked blankly.

"Freddie, where the hell are you?" Carly demanded angrily on the other end.

Freddie's eyes widened and he remembered that he was supposed to meet with his and Carly's legal representation to discuss the terms of their divorce, particularly custody of the children. He clapped a hand to his forehead and sunk lower in his seat, inwardly berating himself for forgetting such an important day.

"Oh…the thing." Freddie murmured weakly, the receiver pressed close to his ear.

"You mean, our divorce?" Carly demanded incredulously, glancing at her lawyer in disbelief at her husband's flippancy.

"I can't believe you forgot," she hissed furiously over the speaker-phone of the phone she was currently speaking through.

"I didn't forget, I swear! I had to uh…leave the country suddenly. Yeah, very urgent business with the company. We think we may be on the verge of finding the newest…Rogaine." Freddie lied rapidly, hoping that Carly bought his story.

"What's all that noise in the background? Are you with a woman?" Carly questioned shrilly on the other end.

"No, of course not. I'm seated in the same row as a group of cheerleaders on the plane." Freddie responded as dismissively as possible.

Just then, a young teenager girl approached Freddie's table and asked him a very inappropriate question.

"So, tell me…would you ever consider dating a 10th grader?" she asked seductively while biting her bottom lip.

Unfortunately for Freddie, Carly heard that very question on the other end and stared furiously at her lawyer.

"I think we could go for full custody." Carly's lawyer remarked assuredly, which Freddie unfortunately heard through the receiver.

"No! You can't take my kids away from me!" he fumed indignantly.

"And since when do you care about the kids, Freddie?" Carly demanded, matching his tone.

Freddie caught sight of Corrie chatting animatedly with her friends and felt his heart deflate bit by bit with every second that passed.

"Look, I'm a lot closer to them than you think, Carly. Let's reschedule, okay?" he asked as gently as possible.

With that, he hung up his cellphone before giving Carly a chance to refute his proposal. Then with renewed courage, he tried to get Corrie's attention by waving at her in a friendly way.

"Um, guys. Why is the new kid waving at me?" Corrie asked out of the corner of her mouth while subtly avoiding Freddie's eyes.

Like everyone else at school, she too had noticed the new kid's grand entrance in Ridgeway's parking lot with his splendid car. But she had been subsequently distracted by Reed getting checked by a security guard for weapons and drugs for the umpteenth time in his high school career in the parking lot.

"I don't know. But if that boy were an apple, he'd be delicious." Lalita replied demurely while eyeing Freddie with continued interest.

Corrie shrugged in a nonplussed manner. Then she averted her eyes and went right back to her conversation as if there hadn't been any interruption. Freddie finally stopped waving at her, suddenly feeling self-conscious. He turned away from his daughter and groaned loudly, feeling like this was going to be a very long day.

* * *

Freddie perked up significantly for his second period class, which happened to be Gym class. For the first time all day, Freddie got to test out his new body to its limits without even breaking into a sweat. The dramatic transition from decrepit to robust caused him to erupt into startling euphoria and sudden gratitude while the class ran several basketball drills.

"Oh man, this is so great! You guys, I'm telling you, you've got to savour this time as teenagers. 'Cause this body right here, you're gonna lose all your muscles and metabolism. And you'll develop a pot belly after just a couple of keg parties through college, I'm telling you." He continued while jogging around on the spot.

Then he stopped short when he caught sight of a chubby-looking kid with an overt pot-belly.

"You know what? Forget what I just said. Gimme the ball," Freddie instructed haphazardly.

One of the boys in the vicinity obliged and tossed him a basketball. Freddie caught it on a reflex and began dribbling effortlessly, stepping in a circle while he moved forward.

"He goes left, he fakes right. Then with a quick wrist flick, Benson's three-point shot is heading towards the basket…" Freddie trailed off dramatically, the ball leaving his hands.

It sailed through the air for about two seconds before making contact, swishing gracefully through the hoop.

"…And it's good!" Freddie cheered happily, pumping his fist eagerly in the air.

Coach Lennox, who'd been standing a few feet away with a clipboard in his hand, hadn't been slow in noticing this perfect shot either.

"Hey, kid!" he called out boisterously, waving for Freddie to come over.

Freddie dropped the ball and jogged over to where Coach Lennox stood.

"Wow, Coach Lennox! _You're still here?_" Freddie questioned incredulously, looking his old basketball coach up and down.

"Excuse me?" Coach Lennox barked, throwing Freddie off for a second.

"You're a legend." Freddie added smoothly, inwardly relieved when Coach Lennox began grinning self-consciously at the compliment.

"Yeah, it's my last year before I retire. I like the look of those shots of yours, kid. I'm looking for a new point-guard. Why don't you stop by for basketball try-outs this Friday afternoon at 3pm?" Coach Lennox offered stoically through a wad of chewing gum in his mouth.

"Yeah, absolutely." Freddie agreed while nodding readily.

"We're done here now." Coach Lennox noted two seconds later when Freddie didn't move away from him.

"Right, of course." Freddie concluded rapidly before jogging away from Coach Lennox.

* * *

Freddie dressed the quickest out of everyone in the locker room. Then he changed back into the clothes he'd been wearing all morning and hurried to the bathroom. He took out his Pear-Phone and began dialling Gibby's home number frantically.

Gibby, who was lying stretched out on a leather sofa in the living room, was playing a game of online chess when his cordless phone began ringing next to him. Without skipping a beat on his game, Gibby pressed a button on the headset he was currently wearing and answered the phone.

"You're now online with the Gib-meister. Talk to me," Gibby greeted in a crooning voice while continuing his game of chess.

"You know you're a dork right, Gibby?" Freddie teased lightly while checking his reflection in the mirror.

"Says the guy pretending to be a teenager to recapture his illustrious past." Gibby returned snidely.

"Touché," Freddie returned easily.

"So what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected phone call?" Gibby asked conversationally.

"Things are looking up for me, Gib-meister. My new look is working well for me. Plus, Coach Lennox practically put me on the basketball team as the new point-guard. Yip, things are definitely moving along the right path." Freddie explained eagerly.

"That's great, Freddie. Glad to see you're exploiting high school for everything it has. A-ha, take that, in your face! Checkmate, Zamir!" Gibby roared unexpectedly, having beaten his online opponent.

Freddie chuckled at Gibby's antics and glanced around to see if there was an available urinal.

"Since we're on the topic of school, I need you to do me a solid. If you can arrange it, I need you to get in trouble at school sometime in the near future. Nothing too serious, okay? Just enough trouble that'll land you in the Principal's office, so that Papa Gibby can have a one-on-one session with Principal 'Good Vibes'." Gibby explained in a seedy voice, thinking of Ridgeway's vivacious principal.

"Yeah, sure. I'll get right on that." Freddie retorted sarcastically.

"Hello? Is anybody out there?" a boy's voice called out from one of the stalls.

Freddie raised an eyebrow, idly wondering why the voice sounded so familiar to him. Then it finally clicked in his head and he leant closer to the wall in front of him so he could hear better.

"If anyone's out there, I need some help please." the voice pleaded.

Freddie managed to scramble up the wall and peer over into the cubicle below him.

"Matt?" he asked in alarm.

Sure enough, his youngest son sat atop the toilet seat. But instead of the usual posture that accompanied such a setting, Matt was still fully clothed and duck-taped to the toilet lid upon which he sat, looking politely abashed. Without thinking twice about it, Freddie climbed the rest of the way up and over the edge to stand in front of his son.

"Oh my God! Who did this to you?" Freddie asked in horror, surveying the damage.

"The stupid basketball team." Matt grumbled.

"But why? You're one of them, Matt." Freddie declared seriously, thinking back on all of their previous conversations together.

"Look, man. No offence, but this is kind of an embarrassing situation as is and I don't know you. Who are you? And how do you know my name?" Matt snapped defensively.

Freddie's eyes widened and he forced himself to remember his cover story.

"I'm Felix Gibson, Gibby's son. I've met your dad." Freddie explained hastily.

Now it was Matt's turn to widen his eyes in amazement.

"Uncle Gibby's your dad?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Yip, true story. You can't make this stuff up." Freddie offered facetiously.

"Wow, that is so weird. If you're Uncle Gibby's son, then how come this is the first time we're meeting? He's practically family." Matt stated matter-of-factly.

"My uh, mom…didn't want anyone to know that she had a kid with Gibby." Freddie responded casually.

"That makes sense." Matt remarked simply.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Freddie agreed, matching his tone.

"I'd shake your hand, but it's taped to my ass, so…" Matt trailed off pointedly.

"Oh, right! Here, uh…let me…see if I can pull this off." Freddie suggested uneasily while deciding where best to start with the insidious duck tape.

Matt nodded rapidly and braced himself. Freddie could see that his son was freaking out, so he tried his best to put him at ease.

"Look, we're just gonna rip and tear, alright? Like a band-aid." Freddie declared steadily with a reassuring smile on his face.

"Like a band-aid." Matt repeated hollowly, trying his best to smile at the kind stranger.

"Ok, here goes. 1, 2…3!"

With one quick motion, Freddie ripped one piece of the duck-tape off Matt's arm. What followed next was an ill-disguised yelp of protest from Matt that most likely only dogs could hear.

"One down, 300 more to go…" Freddie trailed off with a grimace.

* * *

After the odious task of removing his son from his duck-tape prison, Freddie and Matt became fast friends soon after, walking down the hall together. They were talking together in animated tones while en-route to the cafeteria at the start of lunch period.

"So you're living with Uncle Gibby now?" Matt asked curiously of his new friend.

"Yeah, basically till I graduate at the end of the year. My mom thought it was high time that I got to know my dad…and your dad." Freddie ended off with a wry chuckle.

"I'm glad somebody wants to get to know my dad." Matt quipped sardonically with an unkind chuckle of his own.

"Yeah. Your dad seems ok in my books, but a little self-absorbed I guess. Then again, I just met the guy, so…" Freddie trailed off lightly, trying his best not to let his son know how much his comment had hurt him.

"Yeah." Matt agreed stoically before falling silent once more.

"Since I'm gonna be around for a while and you might need someone to unravel you from any other duck-taped hot spots around the school in the near future, we should totally look out for each other, you know? I mean, that's what my dad says at any rate." Freddie continued on in a casual manner.

"Yeah, totally. Is this your first time coming to Seattle?" Matt inquired politely while they entered the cafeteria and made their way to the front to get some food.

"Technically, no. I've passed through here a couple times. But everything's still pretty new to me, so you're definitely gonna have to give me the guided tour to all the cool and happening places around here." Freddie advised in a friendly manner.

"Absolutely." Matt agreed readily with a smile not unlike Freddie's.

After packing their food onto trays, Freddie and Matt made their way towards a table in the middle of the large room. While they began eating their food, Freddie noticed Matt chomp on half of a French-fry before stopping mid-way, a goofy expression on his face. Freddie grinned and turned around to see what Matt was staring at. To his complete lack of surprise, there was a pretty brunette talking and laughing with her friends not too far from where they sat.

"Who's that?" Freddie asked laughingly.

Matt's goofy expression dropped immediately and he began clearing his throat loudly.

"Oh, her? That's just um…Nicole." He muttered nonchalantly.

"Nicole, huh? Nice name. Is she your girlfriend?" Freddie pressed with a seedy grin on his face, causing Matt to chuckle nervously.

"Yeah, I wish. She's a cheerleader and way out of my league." Matt replied assuredly.

"Come on, Matt. I'm sure that's not true. I mean, I remember the first time I met your mom way before we started going out, I was so nervous, I couldn't even…" Freddie rambled on before realising his mistake.

Matt screwed up his face in confusion while staring at Freddie.

"Dude, you know my mom?" he questioned in amazement.

"What? Wait…did I just say your mom?" Freddie asked hesitantly, playing for time to come up with yet another lie.

"Uh, yeah you did." Matt offered slowly.

"Wow, really? That is so weird. Is your mom hot?" Freddie asked with a wink, causing Matt to roll his eyes.

"Dude, shut up. That's my mom you're talking about." Matt returned with a grin on his face.

"Right, of course. My bad." Freddie teased back, enjoying himself thoroughly.

While Freddie continued laughing about his little joke, the grin was wiped instantly off of Matt's face at the sight of more arrivals entering the cafeteria. Freddie followed his son's gaze and saw a crowd of teenage boys, all dressed in matching Varsity jackets.

"Who's that?" Freddie asked curiously, already knowing part of the answer.

"That's Reed Atwood. I hate that guy." Matt replied with loathing evident in his tone.

"Is he the guy who duck-taped you to the toilet lid?" Freddie asked slowly, not taking his eyes off Reed, long after he had bypassed their table en-route to another table near the back wall.

"Yeah, him and his friends did it. You think that's bad? Once he tried to put me in a washing machine on spin-cycle in my own house." Matt scoffed disbelievingly.

"What the hell was that jerk doing at your house?" Freddie demanded heatedly.

"He's Corrie's boyfriend." Matt answered, surprised that Freddie didn't already know.

Something shifted deep inside of Freddie at this revelation. He felt a sudden insurmountable fiery heat coursing right through his bones. It swept across his skin and reverberated through his Adam's apple, making him tremble all over.

"Corrie has a boyfriend?" he asked more of himself than of his son, his eyes locked on Reed standing next to Corrie while she sat down at the table.

Freddie felt his insides literally disintegrate within him when Reed leant over his eldest daughter and engulfed her lips in a searing kiss, tongues duelling in a way that was almost abrasive in its intrusion.

"Yeah, she does." Matt replied carefully, puzzled by his friend's response.

"Wow. I'm very disappointed in your sister." Freddie admitted solemnly, his hands pursed under his chin.

In the midst of locking lips with his girlfriend, Reed caught sight of two pairs of eyes looking at him from across the room.

"Felix! Reed's very temperamental. Don't make eye-contact with him, don't look at him!" Matt warned in a low voice.

"Oh, I'll look at him." Freddie murmured in a dangerously low voice, succumbing to recklessness while he deliberately eye-balled Reed to get his attention.

"Felix, Felix!" Matt hissed indignantly.

But it was too late. The damage had already been done when Reed began striding over towards Matt and Freddie's table, a basketball tucked underneath his arm.

"And just what do you think you're doing here, Twinkle-Douche?" Reed asked in an ominous whisper while leaning over Matt in an intimidating stance.

Matt said nothing in response, but continued looking down, his knuckles clenched together in his lap.

"If I wanted you in the cafeteria, I would've duck-taped you to the lunch-lady." Reed sneered before bouncing his basketball off of the side of Matt's face.

A millisecond later, Freddie was on his feet, his hands balled into fists, his jaw clenched tightly.

"You punk. You don't talk to him that way." He declared in an ominously low voice, his eyes looking strangely moist under the glare of sunlight pouring through the windows all around them.

Tittering and soft chuckles arose from the crowd, particularly from the group of jocks and even Reed himself.

"Oh yeah?" Reed asked with a wide grin on his face.

Then without warning, he slammed his basketball down hard onto the table top beside Matt, his eyes locked on Freddie. Even Corrie jumped slightly, worried that a fight was about to break out right there in the cafeteria.

"What are you gonna do about it?" Reed asked softly, his malevolent eyes locked on Freddie.

"What am I gonna do?" Freddie returned, echoing Reed's tone.

"First off, I'm gonna call your parents." He declared dramatically.

Much of the cafeteria erupted into raucous laughter at this, including Reed himself. As Reed turned away, he decided to make his point clear by tossing his basketball savagely at Freddie's head. With quick reflexes, Freddie's arm shot forward, blocking the imminent shot and catching the ball in the palm of his hand in one fell swoop. Numerous people gasped loudly in surprise, including both Corrie and Matt, whose eyes were glued on Freddie the whole time. Even Reed's smile faltered ever so slightly.

Without missing a beat, Freddie idly twirled the ball around on his pinkie finger, beginning to pace around Reed in a predatory manner, his eyes locked on the ball all the while.

"You know, I really feel sorry for you." Freddie began calmly while circling around Reed at a steady pace.

"You don't know me." Reed countered coldly.

Freddie snickered in response before turning to face Reed once more.

"Oh, but I do know you." Freddie murmured seriously, his face inches away from Reed's.

"You're Reed Atwood: captain of the basketball team. You take the winning shots and you date the pretty girls. You're the big man around campus. High school is your kingdom. But Reed's much more than that, people. Reed's a bully." Freddie countered solemnly, talking to the cafeteria at large.

Reed rolled his eyes at this, waiting for Freddie to make his move.

"It's way too easy to say that Reed preys on the weak simply because he's a dick…" Freddie trailed off matter-of-factly.

Several people in the vicinity laughed heartily at this, including Matt. But Reed's face was contorted into fury, standing with his hands balled into fists at his side.

"No, people. Reed…is much more complex than that." Freddie declared dangerously, pointing the basketball at arm's length back towards Reed in an accusing stance.

Then Freddie came back towards Reed once again, the ball twirling on a lone finger the entire time.

"According to leading psychologists, recent studies show that Reed is a bully for one of three reasons. One: underneath all that male bravado is a little girl banging her fists on the inside, just kicking and screaming to get out of the closet." Freddie began with a malicious smile on his face.

The other students began whooping and laughing heartily at this while Freddie continued his tirade.

"Two: Reed's brain is…underdeveloped." Freddie continued in an apologetic tone, inciting more laughter within the claustrophobic cafeteria.

"And like a caveman, Reed has no control over his bodily functions and erratic behaviour."

"And three…" Freddie trailed off, pausing for effect, knowing that all eyes were on him now.

"Reed has a small wiener." He concluded triumphantly.

The entire cafeteria erupted into laughter at this suggestion, including Matt, who had covered his mouth with his hand. Even Corrie looked like she was holding back giggles. Then Freddie began doing a series of tricks with the basketball: looping it through his legs before spinning it on each hand, the ball eventually coming to rest in his palm. Then he began running forward, dribbling the ball towards Reed, like he was about to charge him. He stopped just short of Reed and flung the ball right at his face, causing everyone around to yell and gasp in horror. To everyone's surprise and amazement, the ball hadn't even left Freddie's hand, but remained tightly encased in his palm while he eye-balled Reed with a steady gaze.

"Don't hurt yourself there, Big Boy." Freddie concluded snidely, an evil grin situated on his face.

* * *

Gibby entered the kitchen in his house just after 3pm and was surprised to find the kitchen table littered with a host of assorted foods and beverages. Then he looked to his right and found Freddie standing with his head buried inside the refrigerator, scrounging for more food. Just as Freddie cracked open a can of beer, Gibby deftly took it from him.

"Unless the fake teenager has a fake I.D. too, the beer's mine." Gibby remonstrated calmly while sipping on the beer.

Freddie scowled momentarily before shrugging and sitting down at the kitchen. Gibby watched in morbid fascination while Freddie made himself the strangest meal ever: a hot dog roll with two pickles placed on the bottom followed by Freddie crushing potato chips on top of that. Then Gibby watched as Freddie scooped a generous helping of chocolate paste out of the jar and began smearing it over the pickles, followed by a dollop of mayonnaise before placing the top half of the bun over it.

"What are you eating?" Gibby asked in revulsion.

Freddie grabbed a can of cheese-whip and began shaking it vigorously.

"I don't know, man. All I know is that I'm hungry…all the time." Freddie responded simply, spraying a sizable amount of cheese spray into his waiting mouth while he spoke.

"Ok, you know what? That's not very sanitary, Freddie. We're labelling that can as yours from now on." Gibby declared in a nauseated tone, grabbing the can by the tips of his fingers.

"So…how was school today? Did you learn anything?" Gibby inquired conversationally.

Freddie stopped momentarily while eating his sandwich to stare off into space.

"Yeah, that I'm a bad dad, Gibby." He answered sadly.

"Come on, Freddie. You're not a bad dad." Gibby returned loyally.

"No, Gibby, I really am. My son is getting bullied by the jocks and my daughter is dating a psychopathic jackass." Freddie went on in defeat.

"Isn't high school delightful?" Gibby asked with sympathetic sarcasm evident in his tone.

"I was wrong about the path, Gib. It's all wrong."

"See? I told you high school wasn't the right path."

"No, that's not what I mean, Gib. High school's the right path, but it's not about me." Freddie answered more confidently.

"It's not?" Gibby questioned in disbelief.

"No, it's not. It's about helping Corrie and Matt. They need me, Gib. It's time I started acting like a real dad to them." Freddie declared vehemently, getting to his feet abruptly.

"Whoa, where are you going, Freddie?" Gibby asked in confusion.

"My kids need their dad. I'm going over to Carly's right away, don't wait up, Gib."

Then Freddie playfully smacked Gibby on the cheek, put on his jacket and skipped cheerily out of the kitchen, leaving Gibby standing exactly where he left him, more confused than ever.

* * *

**Author: Yahoo, Freddie is finally on the right path: super-dad to the rescue. Everyone, stand up with me and do a victory dance! **

***dances in a goofy manner***

**Oh, you want me to sit down again? Ok then *bows head in shame*. But seriously, I hope you all liked this chapter and its promise of Freddie Benson no longer acting like a total wang when it comes to his family. I hope you all liked the minimal Creddie interaction, there's more to come. A lot more ; ) I hope you all liked the cafeteria scene too, that's easily my favourite scene in the entire movie, so I hope I did it justice. And it didn't hurt that Zac Efron looked like a total babe either. No agreement? Just me then, alrighty-then, shutting up now. I'm off to go read 'The Pact' by purpleheart 10 now. If you haven't read that story yet, then you are not a die-hard Creddie fan, that's all I'm sayin'. Cheerio, folks!  
**


	6. The Reunion

**Author's Note: Heyo! I hope you're all having a splendiforous day entering into a new weekend. I won't go into too much detail about my week, otherwise we'll be here all night and then you'll never get to read this chapter. A special thank you the following people for reviewing last week's chapter, which I think has had the most reviews in the story so far:**

**baronvonmilo, RemDiamond, Carl Rahl, Fanfic-Reader-88, purpleheart10, aisforangelaaa, sockstar, CGK0113, metalheart0226 and Lapsuit10. **

**To all the other reviewers who have also read, reviewed and favourited this story, a big thank you to as well. You guys keep me writing and make me fly...so high.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own iCarly, 17 Again or Zac Efron. I only own my whimsical prose.  
**

* * *

Freddie made it over to his and Carly's house in record time, bringing his shiny Audi R-8 to a stop on the pavement. He shut off the engine and he took the car keys out of the ignition, adjusting his sunglasses over his eyes. While walking swiftly along the driveway, he heard the audible sounds of a basketball bouncing against the hard concrete. Freddie grinned to himself and rounded the corner.

Sure enough, Matt could be seen, his back to Freddie while he dribbled the basketball, aiming a few shots at the hoop from time to time.

"Hey, Matt." Freddie greeted jovially, coming to stand next to his son.

"Felix? Dude, what are you doing here?" Matt asked happily, stopping his actions momentarily to bump his fist against Freddie's.

"I was in the neighbourhood running some errands for my dad. He told me you live around here, so I thought I'd say 'hey'." Freddie replied casually.

"Coolio." Matt remarked before shooting a perfect three-point shot.

Freddie watched the basketball sail effortlessly through the hoop and rounded eagerly on his youngest child.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Freddie praised genuinely.

"Uh, thanks." Matt replied self-consciously.

"Where did you learn to hit a three-pointer like that?" Freddie questioned excitedly.

"My dad, I guess. He used to run me through drills all the time when I was a kid." Matt answered soberly.

Freddie thought back on those times spent with his son and he suddenly wished that he hadn't been so hard on him. Then he shrugged off the unpleasant memories and decided to focus on the here and now as a plan began formulating in his head.

"Can you hit another one like that?" he asked curiously of Matt.

Matt nodded and with a casual flick of his wrist, landed yet another superb three-point shot, which swished smoothly through the net. Freddie nodded approvingly in response and began removing his leather jacket, tossing it onto the ground behind him while proceeding with the rest of his plan.

"And can you hit it again with some pressure on you?" Freddie questioned in a professional manner.

He came to stand a few paces in front of Matt, eyeing his son with an unfathomable expression.

"Yeah, I guess so." Matt answered as nonchalantly as possible.

"Alright, let's see what ya got." Freddie suggested, his signature smirk back in place.

Then he arched his back forward, the muscles in his shoulders rolling fluidly along with his actions while he took up an offensive stance in front of Matt. Watching Felix's actions carefully, Matt began dribbling the basketball casually in his hand, developing a gradual rhythm which quickened with every passing second. And somewhere in-between Freddie shadowing Matt's movements, Matt managed to side-step Freddie completely, giving himself enough room to execute a graceful shot, which headed straight for the basket. The ball bounced loudly against the backboard, danced along the rim briefly before falling promptly through the hoop and landing on the ground with a loud thud.

"Nice one!" Freddie congratulated heartily, slapping high-fives with his son.

"Thanks." Matt responded graciously, a genuine smile on his face.

Freddie stared momentarily at the ball lying on the ground before turning to face Matt once more.

"You should be on the basketball team, Matt." He declared earnestly.

A sudden flash of Reed's leering face appeared in Freddie's head, giving his argument even more strength.

"It'll solve everything with Reed and the other jocks constantly hassling you at school." He added seriously.

"You think so?" Matt asked curiously, surprised by his new friend's sudden intensity.

"Absolutely. Coach Lennox invited me to try out for the new point-guard position on the team. You should come with me to try-outs this Friday afternoon and try out for shooting-guard." Freddie suggested genially.

"Alright, man." Matt answered readily, feeling strangely elated at the prospect.

"But if you're gonna be ready for Friday, we'd better get started with the prep work." Freddie rejoined, clapping Matt enthusiastically on the back.

The two boys had begun a vigorous round of one-on-one basketball when a black SUV began approaching them slowly along the driveway.

"Oh, that's my mom. She, my Aunt Sam and my uncle Spencer went grocery shopping earlier." Matt informed Felix casually while dribbling his basketball.

Freddie did a double-take at this. He had expected to run into both Carly and Sam eventually, but Spencer? He hadn't seen his brother-in-law in months, not since Carly had first announced that they were getting divorced. Spencer hadn't cursed or yelled at Freddie when he had come to get the last of his things, but the intense look of disappointment in the older man's eyes had been enough to make Freddie want to jump off a bridge from the shame in the pit of his stomach. Consequently, he hadn't been looking forward to the next time he'd eventually have to see his soon-to-be-ex-brother-in-law.

"Oh, my dad told me about Spencer. He seems like a cool guy." Freddie offered stoically, ignoring the hammering in his chest.

"Yeah, he is. He's kinda nuts and kooky as an artist, but he's a good guy. And he's always been good to my mom since they were kids. When he found out about my parents splitting up, he offered to come stay with us for a little while just to help my mom and me and Corrie cope." Matt offered soberly while landing yet another perfect shot.

Freddie felt a strange lump rising in his throat at the thought of Spencer leaving his own bachelor life to come clean up his mess. But he wasn't left to ponder on this for much longer when the SUV finally came to a stop in front of him and Matt and the car doors opened. Spencer hopped out of the back and went to open the trunk while Sam got out of the front passenger seat. But for the moment, Freddie wasn't entirely focused on his two oldest friends, his eyes glued to Carly instead getting out of the driver's seat of the family car.

She was wearing a simple white summer dress with a violet floral pattern all along the thin fabric, a fetching denim jacket and simple silver sandals on her dainty feet. For an absurd moment, Freddie felt like he was the one who was still older and Carly was the one who hadn't aged a day over 17. When he had seen her the other day, she had looked defeated and resigned with everything that life had thrown at her lately. But today, the freshness of her optimism and vivacity seemed to shine right out of every single pore of her body, her smile like a cool breeze on a balmy day. Freddie was completely transfixed and gushing like a fool, just like the day that he first met her in Bushwell Plaza once upon a time when the world wasn't so cold and riddled with obscene responsibility and fatigue.

"Heyo, Matty-Matt!" Spencer called out exuberantly, ruffling his nephew's hair affectionately with one hand while carrying a brown bag of groceries in the other hand.

"Hey, Uncle Spencer. Hey, Aunt Sam, Mom." Matt greeted back gaily, a small smile on his face.

"Hey, Matt. What goes on?" Sam asked casually while checking something on her cellphone.

"Hi, honey. How was school?" Carly asked warmly of her youngest son.

"Great." Matt offered nonchalantly.

"Where's your sister?" Carly inquired curiously while slamming the car door shut behind her.

"I think she's still at the mall." Matt offered with a shrug of his shoulders.

Carly stopped short when she spotted an unknown figure standing next to her son. She began blinking rapidly to rid her eyes of the annoying yellow spots which one encountered when they spent too much time out in the sun. Because there was no way that she was seeing what she was seeing: a teenage boy who looked exactly like her husband, Freddie. Same hair, same eyes, same smile. Her eyes drifted down towards his hands hanging limply at his sides, feeling an uncanny air of familiarity at the sight of them. The veins in his arms were jutting out, which made her stare in turn at his well-developed arms evident through his white T-shirt.

Then her mind ran away completely with her in tow, recollecting a particular memory of when she and Freddie were first married: him catching her unexpectedly around her waist in their tiny kitchen, her laughter ringing in his ears while he held her close and kissed her slowly and deeply, like they had all the time in the world. Then her hands were drifting down towards his stomach, his shirt bunched up in her fists while she traced the outline of his chest through the thin fabric, so white that it was almost transparent…

"Yo, who's this handsome kid?" Spencer asked jovially, breaking through the sudden silence with a finger pointed at Freddie, having returned from putting the grocery bag down on the kitchen counter.

"Oh, this is Felix. Uncle Gibby's bastard son. No offence," Matt added as an aside while addressing Freddie.

"None taken." Freddie offered meekly with what he hoped was a winning smile.

"No freakin' way! Someone out there on planet Earth actually _procreated…willingly with_ _Gibby?_" Sam demanded laughingly.

"Yeah, it's not something my mom likes to admit to." Freddie admitted, feigning embarrassment.

"Ain't that the truth?" Sam scoffed openly.

"Carly? You ok?" Spencer asked in confusion.

Everyone turned to face Carly, who stood in the exact same spot, her eyes locked on Freddie all the while.

"Are you ok…_Mrs. Benson_?" Freddie asked curiously, trying to keep his voice as casual as possible.

"It's 'Miss Shay', kid. 'Miss'." Sam amended, waving a hand in front of Carly to get a reaction out of her.

Carly ignored Sam completely and began moving towards Freddie like a puppet on a string. Before Freddie could step back, Carly was well within his personal space, her hands gently cupping his face.

"Uh, Mom? What are you doing?" Matt asked in alarm, feeling embarrassed for his friend.

"You're really Gibby's son?" Carly asked in awe.

"Last time I checked."

"You look just like my husband, Freddie. Well, how he used to look when he was your age. So weird…" Carly trailed off in wonder.

Her hands, which had been gripping Freddie's cheeks in a vice-grip, suddenly relaxed before smacking him loudly on both cheeks. Freddie reacted by clicking his teeth together to rid himself of the stinging sensation from his smarting face. Sam had step in and forcefully steer Carly away from Freddie back towards the patio door while Matt and Spencer stared at their backs in confusion.

"Your mom seems nice," Freddie remarked facetiously with a grin on his face.

"Yeah, when she's not acting…weird." Matt returned dryly before shaking his head.

"Whatcha guys up to?" Spencer asked eagerly while Matt and Freddie continued passing the ball to each other and taking shots at the hoop.

"Just getting ready for the basketball try-outs this Friday," Freddie answered distractedly, trying his hardest to catch the gist of Sam and Carly's loudly whispered conversation.

"But, Sam! Didn't you see him?" Carly hissed impatiently with a gesture towards Freddie.

"Ok, Carls. We've already been over this. He may look a _little_ like Freddie…"

"A little? He's practically his doppelganger when he was that age!"

"I think you're getting a little carried away, Cupcake." Sam remarked with a patronising smirk.

"You think I'm crazy, don't you? Well I'm not, because I think I know better than anyone what Freddie used to look like!" Carly huffed indignantly.

"Geez, Carly. Don't get so steamed about it." Sam chided soothingly.

Carly took a deep breath, which helped clear up most of the redness on her cheeks.

"You're right, I'm sorry. It's just really strange that he looks so much like Freddie. Please tell me ya see it?" Carly begged hysterically.

"To tell ya the truth, I think the kid might be a little better lookin' than Fredweird ever was at that age." Sam responded knowingly.

Freddie had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at Sam's comment. He couldn't decide whether to be glad that she thought he was good looking or insulted for himself.

"Freddie wears Hugo Boss. You wait here while I go smell him." Carly declared abruptly, turning away from Sam.

Sam caught Carly by the arm and wheeled her back to face her.

"What's gotten into you? You can't go around sniffing random teenagers. Haven't you learnt anything from Spencer?" Sam hissed incredulously.

"What haven't you learnt from Spencer?" Spencer piped up curiously.

"That it's not a good idea to go around sniffing random people…or hobos." Sam snapped callously before turning to face Carly.

"That was one time! And Hollywood smelt like crème brulee!" Spencer shot back.

"Carly, listen to me. I know this has been a tough time with Fredturd breaking your heart and everything. It's only natural to grieve the end of a relationship. But you've gotta get the nub out of your head and move on, once and for all. It's like what I've been telling you all this time: you just need to get out there and meet other guys. Ya feel me?" Sam asked softly of Carly, her blue eyes serious and penetrating.

"You know what, Sam? You're absolutely right. What am I thinking? I deserve to be happy again and have someone smile at me like Freddie used to when we were first married and tell me I'm pretty. I don't even care that the guy would probably do it just to get me to go home with him." Carly retorted brightly.

"Or to lunch, lunch would be good. I like your enthusiasm, Cupcake. But let's dial it down a notch, 'kay?" Sam asked nervously of her best friend.

For the first time since arriving, Freddie felt himself growing steadily angrier. He understood Sam's position where he was concerned, but he couldn't understand or accept why she was actively going out of her way to encourage Carly to meet someone else while they were still married. He barely even noticed when Carly found a way to sneak away from Sam and move closer to him again. That's when the ball abruptly left his hand and smacked Sam hard on the side of her head.

"Ow, what the hell? Watch what you're doin', ya dip-thong!" Sam fumed angrily at Freddie, who came jogging over to retrieve the ball currently dribbling at her feet.

"Gosh, I'm ever so sorry, that was my bad. I guess I got a little distracted (as did Matt too, I'm sure) by you actively encouraging his mom to sleep with another guy while she's still married to his father. Maybe I'm just an old fashioned guy, but encouraging, no…inviting your best friend to sleep with someone else while still married is pretty careless if ya ask me. If this were the Middle East, she'd be tied to goats and dragged through the streets with her hands cut off for even thinking about cheating on her husband." Freddie fumed while warding off Carly's attempts to poke him and sniff him simultaneously.

"But hey, what do I know? I'm just a kid. But I'm just sayin', Samantha." Freddie ranted passionately, catching Carly's finger in mid-air, which had been grazing his cheek just seconds ago.

"It's Sam." Sam hissed angrily.

"I don't care." Freddie shot back rudely.

Sam moved dangerously towards Freddie, but Spencer stepped in front of her and shook his head. She groaned exasperatedly and stalked into the house, slamming the patio door violently behind her. The noise seemed to snap Carly out of her bizarre stupor when she noticed Sam's absence.

"Sam! Wait!" Carly called out, jogging towards the patio door and entering the house.

"Wow, that was scary. Dude, I'm sorry about my mom and…whatever that was." Matt apologised profusely to Freddie.

"It's cool, man. Don't worry about it." Freddie responded casually.

"Hey, don't be so hard on your mom, Matt. She's going through a tough time right now. You know you gotta be there for her, right?" Spencer asked seriously of his nephew.

"Yeah, Uncle Spencer. I know, sorry." Matt declared meekly.

Spencer smiled again and ruffled Matt's hair affectionately.

"I know, buddy. But between you, me and Corrie, we'll help your mom get through this." He stated reassuringly.

Then he turned to face Freddie unexpectedly with a big grin on his face.

"Since you're half Gibby's, that practically makes you family. Welcome aboard, Felix." Spencer declared warmly, extending his hand towards the teenager.

At first, Freddie was overwhelmed by Spencer's homely gesture. But then he shrugged it off and shook Spencer's hand, thinking that it might very well be the last time that Spencer was ever this friendly to him after everything that had happened.

"Thanks." Freddie responded graciously.

"You really got Sam worked up back there. I've never seen her react like that to anyone except…never mind. I'd better go help unpack the rest of the groceries. See you guys later."

And with one last wave, Spencer jogged into the house, leaving Freddie and Matt alone once again.

"Pretty strange dynamic, huh?" Matt asked with a wry smile while dribbling the ball some more.

"Nah, it seems pretty great to me." Freddie answered wistfully while staring off into space.

* * *

Freddie returned to Gibby's house later that evening just as Gibby finished paying a pizza delivery guy and taking a box from him at the front door.

"Hey! Just in time, I ordered pizza!" Gibby greeted gaily.

"Thanks, I'm starved." Freddie responded gratefully while following Gibby into the house.

After Gibby and Freddie simultaneously cracked open a can of beer and Pepsi, the two of them plonked themselves down on the living room sofa while the feed on a live football game was blaring loudly from the LCD screen.

"Were you at Carly's this whole time?" Gibby inquired curiously while he and Freddie tucked into the pizza.

"Yeah. Matt and I were running basketball drills all afternoon. He's gonna try out for the team with me on Friday." Freddie replied happily.

"That's great, Freddie. So you two have started bonding already?" Gibby asked eagerly.

"Yeah, kind of. He's a great kid, Gib. I just wish I'd done more to encourage him and be there for him." Freddie admitted morosely.

"Well, now's the time to make up for it, right? However long you're stuck 'like this'." Gibby remarked knowingly with a gesture towards Freddie's body.

"You're right, Gibby. I gotta focus on the positives." Freddie remarked in more of an optimistic tone.

And while he thought about the day he'd had, his mind inadvertently went back to Carly. Gibby wasn't slow in noticing the goofy look that had formed on his best friend's face.

"What's that look for?" Gibby asked with a chuckle.

"I saw Carly today." Freddie replied warmly.

"And?"

"And…she looked…amazing. Gib, it was like I was seeing her for the first time when we were kids. When she got out of the car, I felt like doing the rumba. How did I miss it, miss her all these years? I was just so self-absorbed in myself that I stopped seeing her altogether. But seeing her today, happy and where she belonged…it made feel alive. I think I'm falling in love with her all over again." Freddie declared vehemently.

"I think those are the hormones talking right there, Freddo. You're stuck in a teenager's body, what do you expect?" Gibby asked laughingly, much to Freddie's annoyance.

"Hormones or not, I have to find a way to get her back, Gibby." Freddie replied seriously.

"And how do you plan on doing that? Your love for Carly right now is a felony in 48 states. You can't do much wooing in the current body you have, unless you wanna rekindle your relationship with your wife during conjugal visits." Gibby retorted sarcastically.

"Ok, maybe you have a point. But you can't honestly expect me to sit back and watch my wife move on from me? How do I watch some other guy come into my home and be a father to my kids?" Freddie demanded haphazardly.

"Maybe it doesn't have to be a stranger." Gibby remarked in a different tone.

"What do you mean?" Freddie asked in confusion.

"I could be your kids' new Daddy." Gibby answered unexpectedly.

"_You?" _Freddie countered incredulously.

"Yeah, me. Carly and I have history, even more history than you have with her. After the number you pulled on her, I think Carly might be more than willing to take a chance on the Gibster." Gibby responded smoothly.

Freddie eyed Gibby in confusion for a few seconds before he began laughing hysterically.

"Gibby, I will personally give you a Texas wedgie if you ever make a move on Carly. Besides, aren't you already taking cold showers just thinking about 'Principal Good Vibes'?" Freddie asked cleverly.

"You're right, I couldn't get through that with a straight face for longer than five minutes. I love Carly with all my heart, but in 'Reuben terms', Tasha Baxter can make a dog bark faster than a fish can climb a tree. And believe me, I'd let her climb my tree any time." Gibby answered seedily.

"I really didn't need to know that, Gibby." Freddie retorted in a revolted tone.

"But you're right. Maybe I can't win Carly over just yet, but there's no harm in putting myself in close proximity to her every chance I get, right?" he added in a thoughtful tone.

"I guess not. So what's your big plan, maestro?" Gibby inquired curiously.

"Well, my first priority is to be there for Matt and Corrie. I'll help Matt get onto the basketball team and get the jocks off his back. Then I've gotta keep an eye on that dick-head Reed too and make sure that he doesn't pop my daughter's cherry any time soon, if he hasn't already." Freddie responded seriously.

"Sounds like a good plan to me. I'd better start making some plans of my own to get into Principal Good Vibes' good books. I'm gonna go make some calls." Gibby declared, getting up from the sofa and grabbing the cordless phone from the coffee table.

Freddie heard Gibby talking on the phone a few seconds later with a friend who happened to be an art dealer and shook his head laughingly.

"Poor Ms. Baxter. She's not gonna know what hit her." He remarked devilishly while sipping quietly on his Pepsi.

* * *

**Author's Note: So...what did you all think of the reunion between our favourite iCarly characters? I threw in Spencer at the last minute because I don't want to leave him out of this story. And also, he's just awesome. If anyone's wondering about Corrie, she'll feature again next chapter. I hope the Creddie interaction appeased you all, there'll be plenty more where that came from ; ) Now I'm off to watch some good old fashioned local soap operas, lates!**


	7. The Talk

**Author's Note: Hellooo, Shoppers! I've always wanted to lead with a greeting like that ; ) A big thank you to Carl Rahl, sockstar, Fanfic-Reader-88, baronvonmilo and RemDiamond for reviewing last week's chapter, I'm very appreciative. Hope you all like this one : )**

**Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly or "17 Again". Pity, I could've been stinkin' rich by now...  
**

* * *

Freddie walked down the hall on the second floor of Ridgeway, dressed casually in a short-sleeved button-down blue-green plaid shirt, a white undershirt, black skinny jeans and white sneakers, looking down at the time-table in the palm of his hand. According to his schedule, he was supposed to be in Health Class right now. He opened the class room door slowly and strolled into the classroom amidst his rowdy classmates.

Two guys were standing at different ends of the classroom, tossing a football in cavalier fashion to each other; another guy was flying paper planes across the classroom, one of which narrowly missed hitting Freddie in the face. Girls all around him were texting like crazy on their cellphones while another guy sped down the aisle past Freddie on a skateboard. And while this was all going on, their Health teacher, a short Asian-looking woman in her mid-thirties, was calmly seated on top of her desk, filing her nails.

But most disturbing of all was that Corrie was also in Freddie's Health class too. But unlike her classmates' shenanigans, she was engrossed in making out with Reed in broad daylight. They were practically bent over her desk, Reed's body covering hers while he kissed her ferociously. Freddie felt just about ready to lose his breakfast at the sight.

"Hey, guys." Freddie greeted the two of them brightly.

While greeting them, Freddie made sure to deliberately hit Reed in the back with his book-bag, causing his daughter's boyfriend to fall off of her desk and onto the floor in a heap. Reed got up from the floor a few seconds later, glaring at the back of Freddie's head while the latter found himself a seat in the middle of the classroom. Corrie stared incredulously after the new kid, who had instantly ingratiated himself seemingly out of nowhere into her family, wondering what his deal was.

"Ok, everyone. Settle down," Ms. Yee called out when the school bell rang for the start of class.

The students acquiesced and settled into their seats. Freddie reached into his backpack and retrieved his Health textbook from it, placing it atop his desk.

"Ok, let's begin. Today, we will be continuing our previous discussion on human sexuality. Now as you all know, Ridgeway's official policy on underage sex is abstinence," Ms. Yee began soberly.

Most of the class groaned in response while Freddie stared in dismay at his classmates. But then he changed his expression when he saw an opportunity to make his feelings known.

"Abstinence, excellent. See, that is a great idea. I'm glad that somebody is thinking sensibly." Freddie interjected vehemently.

He ignored the fact that he himself was sexually active with Carly when they were both 17 in light of his righteous indignation. Most of the class, including the product of his own recklessness in his senior year, stared back at him in awe.

"You know what I think we should do? We should make a pact together, all us seniors, to agree that we're gonna abstain from sex. Now who's with me, you guys?" Freddie asked eagerly.

The entire class laughed hysterically at this suggestion while Ms. Yee stared at Freddie like he had just announced that he was an alien in human form. Freddie ignored the class' response, turning instead to stare at the back of Corrie's head while she sat in front of him in the row to his immediate left, looking unmoved by the class discussion about safe sex.

"What about you, Corrie?" Freddie asked seriously of his daughter.

Corrie turned around sharply to stare at Felix. It was a little disconcerting to see the sudden intensity in his eyes while he looked at her. She wasn't used to seeing that level of disapproval in anyone's eyes, much less someone she barely knew. But mostly, it was because the action reminded her of someone that she just couldn't pinpoint for the moment. To appease her sudden anxiety, she gave Felix a non-committal shrug before rolling her eyes and turning to face the white board in front of her once more. Ms. Yee took charge of the situation again by addressing the class.

"However, let's get real, guys. I know that asking high school seniors to be abstinent is like asking a porcupine to poop out goat cheese. Yuck, right?" Ms. Yee asked light-heartedly, causing Freddie to raise an eyebrow at her.

"So since most of you are or will become sexually active at some point, it's also part of school policy for me to hand out free condoms to all of you to spread the campaign of safe sex. So here is a box of condoms; pass it around and everyone take a condom. Or two," Ms. Yee prompted rapidly.

Then to Freddie's horror, Ms. Yee handed a student in the front row on the far right of the classroom the box of condoms. That student took more than one condom, and so did most of the other students. Then it came to Freddie's row, where Reed sat in front of him. Freddie scowled when Reed reached into the box and grabbed as many condoms as his two hands would allow.

"What? I have needs," Reed retorted defensively, when this was met with several incredulous stares from his classmates, including Corrie.

Reed turned to hand Freddie the box of condoms, but stopped short and snickered instead.

"Oh, that's right. You don't need these after all," he quipped with a callous grin on his face.

"Reed, give Felix some condoms." Ms. Yee urged in a no-nonsense tone.

"No, Reed's right. I don't need any condoms because I'm currently not having sex with anyone. And you wanna know why? Call me old fashioned, but I figured that you have to be in love with someone first before you have sex with them. I mean, isn't that why they call it 'making love'?" Freddie questioned of the class at large.

A few people sniggered in response at Freddie's choice of words.

"At the end of the day, sex is an act reserved especially for two people who love each other and are preferably married. And when those two people finally come together in that one special act of union, it's usually because they're ready to take that love and turn into something more. Like a baby…a family." Freddie murmured while staring off into space.

In an instant, he was looking forward again and staring at Corrie, who was finally looking him in the eye. But Freddie wasn't seeing Corrie like she currently looked, but when she was still a baby.

_His mind was racing backwards to the day she was born; racing Carly frantically to the hospital when her water broke; Carly's cry of anguish while straining with all her might to bring Corrie into the world for the first time. Even though her usually neat black hair was matted together and she was covered in sweat from head to toe, Freddie couldn't help marvelling at how beautiful Carly looked in spite of her obvious pain…_

"Because that's what love is. It's that moment when you hold your baby girl for the first time in your arms. And you didn't know that anything could be so small or so delicate…and you look at those little fingers and feel that tiny heartbeat. And you know right then and there that you couldn't love anything or anyone more in the whole wide world." Freddie trailed off seriously, his mind's eye recapturing the moment with poignant clarity.

_Corrie cried a lot when she finally came out of Carly and the doctors had cleaned her up and wrapped her in a little pink blanket. Freddie was as white as a sheet through his green mask and green smock as the doctor approached him slowly. But he had swallowed the remnants of his existing fear when he took his first born gingerly into his arms and held her for the first time. _

_He was still afraid to hold her, even when she was snuggled so close in his arms, her tiny hands balled into fists while she wailed loudly. But he was even more afraid to let her go, in case she vanished into thin air, like some elaborate hoax. He was surprised and relieved beyond words that she was finally here, but he wasn't ready for this weighty responsibility. _

_And then the unthinkable happened. Freddie murmured something incoherent under his breath and Corrie stopped crying abruptly. He felt the strangest pressure on his index finger. He looked down and realised that Corrie had grabbed hold of his finger with her tiny hand and looked intent on never letting go. From the very first day, she'd always wanted her way and seemed assured of always getting it. And while she stared up at him with her big brown eyes, Freddie thought fleetingly that she must know exactly who he is. And all he could do was smile weakly down at her in response._

_Then Freddie found himself moving towards Carly with their baby in his arms, sitting down on the edge of the bed. In spite of her fatigue, Carly still smiled radiantly at him, shedding copious amounts of tears while she looked at Corrie with love and awe evident in her eyes. With tears already drying on his cheeks, Freddie leant forward and kissed Carly gently on the forehead before doing the same with Corrie, perfectly content with staying just like that forever…_

"And you hope that you can do right by that little girl, and always be there to catch her when she falls, and make sure that nothing ever hurts her. Not a broken arm, a bad dream…or a broken heart. All you know for certain is that you'll do whatever it takes to protect her, always. That's what love does, it ties everything together." Freddie concluded sincerely, several unshed tears forming in his eyes while he spoke.

Then he took his seat and an unusual hush filled the entire room. Throughout his speech, Corrie had been unable to take her eyes off of Felix. He was so strange at the best of times and yet…she really believed what he had been saying about family. A part of her felt wistful at the thought, and she couldn't understand why it had struck an internal chord with her.

"You know what? I don't even want these, just take them," Lalita lamented painstakingly, tossing the condoms back into the cardboard box.

Most of the girls in class followed Lalita's example and threw their unopened condoms back into the box too, to the astonishment of most of the boys in the vicinity. Reed held the box again and grabbed more condoms than before, throwing them all over his desk.

"Great, fine, wonderful. Plenty more for me, right?" he asked in an uncouth manner.

"Now I've got enough for the whole weekend," he added in a seedy tone.

Then he leant forward and kissed a very surprised Corrie full on the lips, slipping his tongue in vigorously just for good measure. Something snapped inside of Freddie, and before anyone could stop him, he leapt from his own chair onto Reed, knocking him to the ground and falling on top of him, bringing his fist down hard onto the blond-haired boy's face.

"Boys, stop it! Put those phones away!" Ms. Yee barked, trying to bring an end to the brawl and the spectacle that was forming.

"Reed, stop hitting him! You're gonna go to jail again!" Corrie cried desperately.

Just when Freddie thought he had the upper-hand, Reed managed to disentangle himself from the firm grip over his throat and pinned Freddie onto the ground instead. Some of their classmates began laughing hysterically when Reed grabbed Freddie's head in an unmistakable chokehold and began giving him a very unpleasant noogie. Most of the students instantaneously began pulling out their cellphones to record Freddie's moment of utter humiliation.

* * *

People were still laughing a good 20 minutes later. The entire school had found out about Freddie and Reed's fight in an impressive amount of time, predominantly through text messages and impromptu video footage taken from a multitude of cellphones all around the building. Students couldn't seem to get enough of 'The New Kid' getting his ass kicked by Reed, replaying the footage on their cellphones over and over again amidst raucous laughter.

Freddie was currently sitting in the main office on a hard plastic chair, holding an ice-pack up to his bottom lip, which had a small cut on it and was swelling rapidly.

"Yo, Dude. Check this out. My cousin in New York just sent me this video." A student in close proximity to Freddie said to his neighbour seated beside him.

Sure enough, it was the footage of Reed giving Freddie a noogie on repeat. Freddie was still giving the two high school boys the evil eye when Gibby walked into the main office, spotted him and sat down next to him.

"Hey, I hope I'm not late for our 'meeting'. By the way, great timing on that whole 'getting into trouble' thing. Nice lookin' out there, Kid." Gibby praised airily.

"Don't mention it," Freddie remarked dully.

"You ok though? No broken bones or anything?" Gibby probed in concern.

"Nah, I'm good, Gib. Just a fat lip." Freddie answered stoically while gesturing towards the ice-pack.

"So who came off second best in the fight?" Gibby inquired conversationally.

"Oh…it was pretty even actually." Freddie answered in what he hoped was a nonchalant tone.

"Really?"

"Uh huh."

"Weird, 'cause it looked like you got your ass kicked on Youtube. I saw it a couple of times." Gibby pointed out drolly.

"Thanks for the newsflash, Gibby. It means a lot." Freddie retorted sarcastically.

In the midst of scowling, Freddie finally took in Gibby's appearance while he sat beside him.

"Gibby, what are you wearing?" Freddie asked in horror.

For his meeting with Principal Baxter, Gibby was sporting a most bizarre collection of clothing. For starters, he was wearing a beige rodeo hat over his light-brown hair. This was accompanied by a peculiar black jacket with fur around the neck, an effeminate button-down blue dress shirt underneath, black and grey pin-striped pants and black boots.

"What, my cologne? It's 'The Beat', by Burberry." Gibby offered calmly.

"Not your cologne, your clothes, Gibby." Freddie replied impatiently.

"To the untrained eye, I look like a complete idiot." Gibby began conspiratorially.

"Gibby, you look like a complete idiot to every eye in this room, untrained or otherwise." Freddie retorted.

"But that's the whole point. I'm pea-cocking." Gibby responded triumphantly.

"Am I supposed to know what that is?" Freddie questioned wearily.

"Pea-cocking is a tried and tested seduction technique. My clothes serve the dual function of ice-breaker and attention-getter."

"And this is your brilliant plan for getting Ms. Baxter to go out with you?"

"Precisely. Watch and learn, my friend."

"Believe me, there's not enough money in the world to make me miss this." Freddie quipped dryly, shaking his head at Gibby's latest plan.

And Gibby had the audacity to accuse him of ridiculous schemes.

"Ms. Baxter is ready to see you, Felix and Mr. Gibson." The secretary announced soberly.

Freddie nodded his thanks as he and Gibby got to their feet and walked into Ms. Baxter's office. Ridgeway's principal sat at her desk, perusing the contents of a memo through a pair of stylish reading glasses. She looked up from her work at the sound of footsteps, frowning at Gibby's particular attire that he had chosen to wear for the meeting that she had set up. She continued watching in confusion as he made a great show of placing his foot on top of her desk while striking a pose.

"What are you doing? Are…are you pea-cocking?" Tasha demanded incredulously, staring in a less than amused manner at Gibby's fingertips running over his chin while he looked at her.

"Really, Mr. Gibson? You really think that's gonna work?" she pressed in an annoyed manner.

"I think it just might, Ms. Baxter," Gibby returned with a slight southern drawl.

Then he made sure to put his posterior in her line of sight first before taking his seat in dramatic fashion. Freddie kept a straight face in spite of his mad desire to start laughing out loud. Tasha pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

"This is gonna be a long meeting," she muttered under her breath before turning her attention to Gibby and Freddie.

* * *

After a long day at school, Freddie made his way over to his old home. He grinned when he caught sight of Carly's SUV parked in the driveway, the driver's seat door standing open. He surmised that Carly must be somewhere nearby.

Sure enough, he was just able to make out some of her silhouette bent over the trunk of the car, removing what looked like a large white bag filled with compost.

"Mrs. Benson! How nice to see you again! How are you doing?" Freddie asked cordially after making his way around the car.

Carly, who had been so intent on the task at hand, nearly bumped her head against the top of the trunk at Felix's sudden greeting.

"Hi…Felix. How are you?" Carly asked in a composed manner, trying her best to smile.

"I'm good, how are you?" Freddie questioned pleasantly in turn.

"Good." Carly answered promptly.

Freddie nodded in approval and Carly looked away momentarily before staring back at him. Her eyes immediately met his hazel ones and she sighed inwardly.

"Wow, this is gonna take some getting used to." She mused while looking intently at him.

Freddie feigned confusion, pretending not to know what Carly was talking about while smirking on the inside.

"You're really Gibby's son?" Carly asked in awe, causing Freddie to chuckle lightly.

"Yeah, I am. Gibby gave birth to me." Freddie answered rapidly.

Carly stared at him in bewilderment and Freddie realised his mistake.

"Well, actually…Gibby didn't give birth to me…I meant to say…you know what I meant." He added sheepishly.

"So what brings you by?" Carly asked quickly while bending over the trunk of the car to remove a few more bags.

"Actually, I was looking for Matt. Is he home?" Freddie queried politely.

"No, he's not. He's still at school doing research for a history paper." Carly answered coherently.

"Oh, ok. Is it alright if I wait here till he gets home?" Freddie asked slowly.

"Of course," Carly replied, feigning nonchalance to still her rapidly beating heart.

"Are you doing some gardening?" Freddie inquired casually while glancing down at the white bags resting near his feet.

"I'm redoing the backyard." Carly answered softly, seizing on this sudden change in subject.

"Oh, that's so cool."

"You wanna see?"

"Yeah, sure. I've got some time." Freddie answered with a small smile while picking up a white bag at his feet.

Carly opened the wooden door in front of her and led her son's young friend into the backyard. Unlike the day when she and Freddie had last argued, the space was now completely clear of debris and mouldy furniture. The ground had been raked, the sand beneath their feet now soft and smooth.

"Wow," Freddie murmured, marvelling at how clean the backyard looked.

"Yeah, I know. Obviously I still have a lot of work to do." Carly confessed self-consciously while staring at their surroundings.

"Should I put this over here?" Freddie asked politely, referring to the white bag draped over his shoulder.

"Yes please, thank you." Carly replied with a gracious smile.

"So this is it," she murmured pensively with a hand gesture at their surroundings.

"It sure is."

"It used to look a lot worse, trust me."

"Oh, I do." Freddie murmured cheerily.

"What I want to do is put a pond in here in the middle of the backyard. And I want the water to come streaming in from both sides," Carly began while gesturing with her hands.

"Ok."

"Then I want to put a huge wooden deck here in front of the sliding doors by the living room. And a flagstone patio here with sod in-between," Carly continued methodically.

All Freddie could do was marvel at Carly's ingenuity. Why hadn't he noticed any of it before? Carly had always been the one coming up with some of their most creative ideas for iCarly back in the day. Freddie should've instinctively known that Carly was made for greater things.

"…And finally, I want to install some twinkling lights above the whole thing. That way, every night will be a starry one." Carly mused in a dreamy manner while she imagined all of it in her mind's eye.

"Sounds great. It's gonna be amazing, Carls." Freddie murmured sincerely in a low voice.

Carly did a double-take at this, rounding on Freddie immediately.

"What did you just call me?" Carly demanded.

Freddie's eyes widened before he composed himself rapidly.

"Uh…I just said it's gonna be amazing." He offered weakly.

"You called me 'Carls'." Carly answered softly.

"My husband's the only person who calls me that." She added seriously.

"Could you use some help with this?" Freddie questioned hurriedly, deciding to change the subject instead of offering a reason for his faux pas.

Carly stared at Matt's friend in confusion, not knowing what to think about his strange behaviour.

"I could volunteer my services. I'm young and strong." Freddie offered in a winning voice.

Carly blushed ever so slightly at the smirk on the young teenager's face, which made him even more good-looking than she previously thought possible.

"Ok, I think I see what's going on here."

"You do?" Freddie asked in confusion.

"Yeah. I realise that the whole 'Lady Cougar Hunting' and 'Mothers I'd like to' shtick is really popular with you young high school boys, what with 'Desperate Housewives' and everything. But that's not gonna happen between you and me." Carly explained firmly.

"I didn't even mean it like that. No, I was thinking more along the lines of business experience…college applications. But if you wanna go there, that's cool-"

"You know what? I think I'm just gonna shut up now and go get you a shovel instead. Sound good?" Carly asked brightly, trying to cover up her embarrassment.

"Sounds great," Freddie agreed amiably.

When Carly returned with a shovel a few minutes later, Freddie had discarded of his plaid shirt and was left wearing his white wife-beater, black jeans and sneakers. She bit her bottom lip while trying to mentally compose herself. As the two of them started on the work in the backyard, Freddie began asking Carly more questions about her current endeavour:

"Do you mind me asking why you decided to turn your backyard into this…really cool tricked out backyard instead, Mrs. Benson?"

"Actually, it's something I've wanted to do for a long time. I've always loved working in the garden, working with different plants and flowers. I used to work in the garden with my mom when I was a little girl; she was always so patient with tending to the flowers and giving every single one her undivided attention. Matt and Corrie used to also help me trim the roses and water the other plants when they were really young. My husband, Freddie…never really had time for that stuff. He was busy getting his career started while I stayed home with the kids." Carly explained pensively, digging her shovel deep into the stubborn sand.

"Sounds like he missed out on something pretty special." Freddie replied knowingly.

Carly stopped digging momentarily, surprised by the young man's tone of voice and the sombre look in his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." She agreed softly.

"Maybe I'm already counting my chickens before they're hatched by saying what I'm about to say. But for what it's worth, I think you're gonna do a great job with this project. And I think your mom would be really proud too, Mrs. Benson." Freddie declared sincerely.

Carly smiled radiantly in response, making Freddie's heart literally soar in his chest, feeling like he had finally done something right after the longest time.

"Thank you, Felix. That's really sweet of you to say." Carly responded genuinely.

"You're welcome." Freddie stated meekly, his eyes locked on hers.

While they continued staring at each other, they were snapped out of their mutual reverie by Matt suddenly entering the backyard, the wooden door swinging to close behind him with a loud thump.

"Hey, Mom. Felix, what are you doing here, bro?" Matt asked while staring at his friend in surprise.

"Looking for you, actually. Your Mom said I could hang out while I was waiting for you, so I thought I'd give her a hand with starting on the backyard." Freddie explained casually, feeling a little guilty for resenting the interruption made by his son's presence.

"Sweet." Matt commented casually.

"Honey, do you wanna give us a hand? We could use some help with digging a hole for the pond." Carly stated quickly.

"Sure thing, Mom. I'll just go change my shirt, be back in a second." Matt replied easily before disappearing through the patio door.

Carly turned to face Freddie once more with an apologetic air on her face, which was replaced by one of concentration.

"Let's get started." She suggested sensibly.

"Let's," Freddie agreed, matching her tone while bending over his shovel once more.

* * *

**Author's Note: Et voila, I hope you all liked the Creddie interaction in this chapter. You can expect further Creddie embellishment like this in the near further ; ) A big thank you to PerennialKillJoy (ever the voice of reason) for his input in this chapter, particularly the 'Burberry' joke, you're swell : ) I hope you all have a fab weekend, mazeltov. **


	8. The Dance

**Author's Note: Hello, everybody! How are all you fine people out there? Grf, my week was pretty crap, just a ton of stuff weighing on my mind, not to mention my upcoming final exam for English. But the weekend's been good to me and drama-free so far (for now, there's still Sunday after all). I have to apologise if some of you have been getting email notifications about chapters being re-posted for this story more than once. I have re-posted some of the early chapters, but only because I added last minute song lyrics to a few chapters. So if I ever re-post certain chapters again, it'll probably be for that reason. But on the plus side, chapter 4 ('The Registration') now includes two songs that set the mood just right, especially for Tasha's entrance into the story ; ) Hope you all enjoy this new chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly or the concept for 17 Again. And I solemnly swear that I am up to no good...  
**

* * *

Freddie lay asleep in his bed around 5am that Wednesday morning, completely passed out. Gibby traipsed into his bedroom a few seconds later, wearing a bathrobe over his boxers and t-shirt, his brown hair dishevelled.

"Freddie, you gotta wake up." Gibby chided softly.

Freddie emitted a loud snore in response.

"You're supposed to be practising basketball drills with Matt before school today. Remember?" Gibby asked more impatiently.

Freddie grumbled something and turned over in his sleep, snoring even louder.

Gibby shook his head and retrieved a fog horn from behind his back. Then he squeezed it hard, causing Freddie to yelp in alarm before rolling out of bed and falling into a heap on the floor.

"It's show-time, Benson. Gotta get your game-face on!" Gibby barked, grinning evilly at his best friend.

Then he exited the bedroom, laughing manically to himself. Freddie groaned and picked himself off the floor, rubbing a spot on his head where it had collided with the wooden tiling. As much as he would've loved to get Gibby back for waking him up so unceremoniously, he knew that his best friend was right. If he was going to help Matt get onto the basketball team, then he had to get cracking. He groggily made his way to the bathroom and started getting ready.

* * *

Freddie and Matt began their routine off with some light jogging around the neighbourhood. Considering that Freddie had only exercised sporadically before his 'transformation', it was ironic that he was still outstripping Matt as they jogged together down the street. But each time that Freddie found himself sprinting ahead, he stopped and waited patiently for his son to catch up before they continued jogging together.

On Thursday morning, Freddie and Matt skipped jogging and met at Ridgeway before school so that they could practise their free-throw shots. Matt was doing fairly well, but was still missing a couple of key shots because of his wrist action when shooting. While Freddie coached Matt verbally through his shooting, he pulled out a fog horn and blasted it continuously to get Matt into the spirit of nailing his shots on the first effort. As annoying as the sound of the fog horn was in his ears, Matt gritted his teeth and did as Freddie instructed, concentrating with all his might on getting it right.

* * *

While Freddie helped Matt prep for the basketball try-outs, Gibby did some planning of his own to officially begin wooing Tasha Baxter. He made a call to a certain vehicular company and made a very special purchase.

When Tasha arrived in the parking lot at Ridgeway on Thursday morning, she frowned in confusion at a massive group of students all huddled together around a massive vehicle.

As part of the crowd thinned, she gaped in shock at the brand new yellow school bus that stood in the parking lot, with a huge red bow tied around the middle. And out of said vehicle hopped Gibby, dressed in blue jeans, a polo shirt, loafers and a cardigan tied deftly around his neck, carrying a large assorted bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates. He grinned widely at the look on Tasha's face.

* * *

In-between helping Matt with basketball try-outs, Freddie was also helping Carly with remodelling the backyard every opportunity he got. On that particular Thursday afternoon, they were in the midst of hosing down the ground before laying out some cement for the deck that was to be built. A sly smirk appeared on Freddie's face and before he could stop himself, he began squirting Carly with water from the hose-pipe, laughing outwardly at her girlish shrieks.

"Felix!" Carly exclaimed, a wide grin on her face at his silliness.

"Sorry, Mrs. Benson!" Freddie called out, not sounding sorry in the least.

In answer to this, Carly flung her garden gloves at Freddie, hitting him square in the face. Freddie gaped in awe at Carly jogging away from him, a playful grin on her face. Freddie smiled even wider and squirted more water in Carly's direction as she sprinted towards the patio doors. While watching her go, Freddie caught sight of Corrie and Reed standing near Carly's car in the driveway.

Instead of cleaning the car like Carly had asked them to, they were leaning against it and making out. With a casual flick of his wrist, Freddie opened up the faucet even more and began pelting his daughter and her sleazy boyfriend with copious amounts of water. Corrie shrieked indignantly and took off back to the house, Reed following closely behind her.

Freddie beamed with satisfaction.

* * *

On Friday morning, Freddie and Matt were practising their dribbling techniques at Ridgeway once again. They were situated on the school bleachers, climbing the stairs along the main entrance slowly while dribbling basketballs in-between their legs as they went. Matt was watching his friend intently and matching his movement bit by bit. In spite of the sweat dripping down his face and the ache in his calf muscles, Matt was actually enjoying himself for the first time in weeks since his parents had decided to call it quits on their marriage. Freddie glanced over at his son and smiled, feeling completely at ease while they exercised together.

Matt and Freddie were helping Carly in the yard once more, helping lay out the wood required to construct the deck in front of the living room door. In his excitement for Carly's current project, Spencer too had gotten into the spirit of things and constructed a sculpture that was quite abstract in itself, with large silver spoons sticking out from every corner. Feigning enthusiasm, Carly asked Matt and Freddie to carry the bizarre sculpture into the garage 'for safe-keeping' in her own words, which was actually code for keeping the sculpture as far away from the garden as possible.

Then Carly excused herself and walked along the driveway towards the house. Freddie's eyes were on her back the entire time, transfixed by her breathless beauty, a sly grin on his face while idly holding a water bottle in his hand. Then he was abruptly shaken back to reality by Matt pouring water from his plastic bottle all over his head. He gasped loudly, his hair, face and clothes completely wet.

"What?" he asked in confusion, while Matt shook his head.

* * *

Tasha made her way back to her office, carrying a stack of teacher evaluations in her hands. To her surprise, her office door stood slightly ajar. To her horror, she saw a portrait hanging on the wall that hadn't been there 5 minutes ago. It was a portrait of her dressed as Wonder Woman, holding Gibby in her strong arms. With wide eyes, Tasha surreptitiously skirted past the secretary's desk and looked in multiple directions before closing her office door and shutting herself in with her portrait.

* * *

A week later, after the first round of try-outs, Freddie was back at his and Carly's home once again, playing some one-on-one basketball with Matt in the driveway. He had excused himself briefly to go grab some drinks for him and Matt when he came across an unsettling sight in the living room. Spencer had gone to replenish his art supplies while Carly had gone out for lunch with Sam. Corrie was at home, but was currently engaged in making out with Reed on the sofa.

While the two teenagers were otherwise occupied, Freddie surreptitiously retrieved a lighter from a drawer located in the coffee table. Grabbing hold of a bulky scented candle atop that very table, Freddie carefully lit the candle and held it above his head underneath the fire alarm, which just happened to be located right above the sofa where Corrie and Reed lay.

Then he quickly blew out the candle and put it back on the coffee table, slipping slyly out of the living room as the fire alarm began ringing shrilly. Corrie detached herself quickly from Reed, her eyes going towards the fire alarm in surprise. Reed seated himself on the sofa, a disgruntled expression on his face from the interruption. Then Corrie furrowed her eyebrows in suspicion when she noticed Freddie exiting the kitchen at that particular moment with two energy drinks in his hand, idly wondering if he had just set off the fire alarm.

* * *

The day before the final round of basketball try-outs, Freddie and Matt were located within Ridgeway's bleachers once again. Only this time, they were jogging rapidly up the concrete stairway, dribbling their basketballs effortlessly beneath their feet as they progressed upwards. When Freddie occasionally shot surreptitious looks at his son out of the corner of his eye, he was pleased to see that Matt hadn't broken into a sweat yet nor complained about the toll that their exercise was taking on the muscles in his arms and legs. Freddie smiled secretly to himself while they continued with the drill.

* * *

On Friday morning, just a few hours before the final round of try-outs, Freddie and Matt were practising their free throws on an empty basketball court in the school grounds. Freddie had placed six basketballs next to each other, drawing each one underneath his foot before balancing it on the tip of his foot. Then he kicked each ball at waist-level with Matt, who caught each one deftly in his hand and aimed a perfectly executed shot at the hoop. Accompanied with his whistle, Freddie squeezed sharply on his fog horn while Matt landed every single one of his shots until he had reached an unnumbered amount of flawless free throws. Then Freddie blew on his whistle, ending the drill momentarily. Matt watched warily as Freddie circled around him, an indiscernible expression on his face.

"You hit every single one of your shots without breaking your stride once. You're gonna knock Coach Lennox flat on his back." Freddie praised sincerely, a wide smile on his face.

Freddie laughed heartily when Matt heaved a loud sigh of relief at the prospect.

"Really?" Matt asked softly, hunched over to catch his breath.

"Absolutely. You're ready for today." Freddie answered, matching his tone.

"Good. You mind if I take a look at this for a second?" Matt asked curiously, gesturing to his friend's fog horn.

Freddie handed over the fog horn, but had to retreat immediately when Matt began chasing him around the basketball court, holding the fog horn close to Freddie's ear. He squeezed hard on the device, which unleashed the irritating sound he had been subjected to for close to two straight weeks.

* * *

Matt and Freddie entered his house just after 6pm, the sun having set nearly an hour ago. After try-outs were complete, they had changed back into casual attire: Matt wearing a yellow and blue rugby shirt, blue jeans and Adidas sneakers. Freddie was wearing a short-sleeved button-down black shirt, black jeans and white Lacoste sneakers. They entered the living room, talking animatedly together, plonking themselves down onto the sofa.

"Didn't I say it? I told you we could do it!" Freddie exclaimed eagerly before fist-bumping Matt.

"Dude, you were right! Did you see the look on Reed's face?" Matt asked ecstatically while Freddie laughed appreciatively.

Carly entered the living room a few seconds later while the two teenage boys were still laughing merrily together. She frowned in confusion when they immediately fell silent at her appearance.

"Hey, guys. What's…going on?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing," the two of them replied in unison, causing Carly to raise an eyebrow in response.

"O-kay. How were the try-outs?" Carly questioned pointedly.

"Well Felix had a really great try-out, he's on the team. He really impressed Coach Lennox." Matt responded soberly with a meaningful look in Freddie's direction.

"Felix, that's terrific. Congratulations." Carly declared genuinely with a polite smile on her face.

"Thank you, Mrs. Benson. I appreciate that," Freddie replied politely.

"And so did I, Mom. I made the team." Matt added devilishly, dropping his sombre demeanour immediately.

Carly's eyes widened in amazement and she began shrieking with delight.

"Matt, that's fantastic. Oh, I'm so proud of you!" she gushed happily.

Matt joined in his mom's obvious excitement, getting off the sofa and hugging her tightly. To both their surprise, Felix got off the sofa too and enveloped the two of them in a tight bear hug as well.

"Me too, Matt. You did great out there," Freddie gushed softly with his eyes closed.

"Um, Felix…that's super inappropriate." Carly murmured uncomfortably.

"Sorry," Freddie replied hurriedly and sat himself back down onto the sofa.

While Matt and Carly continued hugging each other, Freddie satisfied himself with pumping his fist abashedly in the air from his position on the sofa.

"Good job today," he mumbled lamely.

"Oh, I just remembered! Do you guys wanna see the backyard?" Carly asked quickly.

"It's finished already?" Matt asked in amazement.

"Uh huh, Uncle Spencer helped me with it while Felix was helping you prep for basketball try-outs." Carly explained happily to her son.

"I can't believe it. We only started on it two weeks ago. How did you finish?" Felix inquired eagerly.

"Like I said, my kooky brother is surprisingly handy when he puts his mind to it. And then he enlisted the help of a couple of hobos – just come and see!" Carly implored with impatient laughter.

Matt and Freddie followed her out of the living room and through the sliding glass door. The entire backyard was shrouded in darkness, the moon giving off the only form of light. Then Carly flipped a switch on the wall, causing Freddie and Matt to gape in awe.

The backyard was completely unrecognisable from the pitiable state it used to be not too long ago. The wooden deck stretched out in front of them, sleek and shiny. And in front of that was the pond, serene and as black as the night sky overhead. A host of plants and flowers had been planted around the pond, surrounding the flagstone patio. And around the trees and the wooden ceiling above the patio Carly and Spencer had hung white and yellow baubles, which illuminated the entire backyard.

"Wow," Matt and Freddie murmured in awe.

"You hung the lights," Freddie said with appreciation.

"I did, I wanted you guys to be the first to see it. You like it?" Carly asked self-consciously.

"Mom, this is so sick." Matt answered sincerely, a big smile on his face.

"Yeah?" Carly questioned happily.

"Absolutely, it's so good." Matt added genuinely before enveloping Carly in a warm hug.

"Felix, we should go practice some more. The game's this Friday. I'm gonna go find Uncle Spencer quick,"

With that, Matt jogged back into the house, leaving Carly and Freddie standing alone on the deck together.

"What do you think?" Carly asked softly of him.

"This is really amazing, Mrs. Benson." Freddie murmured earnestly, staring straight ahead at their surroundings.

"When people see what you've done with the backyard...when they see how talented you are…you could be designing gardens all over the city." he mused seriously.

"That's the general idea. Thank you, Felix." Carly answered, a small smile etched on her face.

Then they turned to face one another, their eyes glued to each other for a few silent seconds.

"Oh my gosh, I'm running late! I have a date tonight!" Carly announced abruptly after checking her wrist watch.

"You have a date?" Freddie asked laughingly, suddenly feeling extremely queasy.

"Uh huh, the first one in…a long time. I'm going dancing, which is just crazy because I'm a terrible dancer." Carly confessed abashedly.

"You're an amazing dancer," Freddie mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Carly asked in bewilderment.

"You just, uh…look like you can…move." Freddie elaborated sheepishly.

Freddie fought hard to keep a straight face while Carly openly spluttered in surprise at his words.

"Ok then. I need to start getting ready. Have fun tonight, Felix."

"Night." Freddie greeted slowly.

And with that, Carly strolled casually past Freddie back to the sliding doors and disappeared inside. Once she was gone, Freddie dropped his nonchalant stance and groaned loudly, slapping his forehead in exasperation.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded of himself in a self-deprecating tone.

Freddie wandered inside again after standing pensively in the backyard for nearly 15 minutes when he heard soft music coming from somewhere in the house. Curious, he followed the sound of the stereo coming from the sitting room, located next to the living room. Freddie grinned when he saw Carly inside, swaying softly to the scintillating sounds of the music playing out of the speakers.

As it turned out, she was already dressed for her date that night. She was wearing a simple black cocktail dress which went down to her knees, which showed off her pale shapely legs and black stilettos on her feet. She had tied a showy black belt around her waist, which accentuated her curvaceous figure even more. She had worn her hair down for the evening and styled it into luxurious curly waves, which cascaded past her shoulders. She had her back to him and to Freddie's intense amusement, she was dancing in front of the mirror, clearly in her own world.

He cleared his throat loudly to notify her to his presence. Carly gave a start when she saw Felix leaning against the doorway to the sitting room, his arms folded across his chest.

"Geez, Felix, you scared me." Carly murmured hoarsely.

"Sorry. Nice dancing, Mrs. Benson." Freddie complimented smoothly.

Carly frowned slightly at the twinkle in the young man's eye, as if he was silently making fun of her. A challenging grin appeared on her face while she studied him.

"Hey, be nice. I was doing 'the snake'. That was a very hot dance when you were still in diapers." Carly retorted in an endearingly patronising manner.

"Would you teach it to me?" Freddie asked meekly, taking Carly by surprise when he stepped forward slightly, entering the sitting room.

"I don't think so, these are some pretty advanced moves. Which I'm sure is hard to believe, because I make it look effortless. That's the secret to all great dancers." Carly remarked knowingly.

Freddie nodded in acknowledgement while Carly spoke, moving silently towards the CD player. Knowing full well which CD's were currently stacked next to the CD player, it didn't take him long to find one particular album. Then after opening the CD shuttle, he removed the CD Carly had been listening to before he arrived and replaced it with the CD in his hand. Then he turned to face Carly once more.

"Try me," he implored gently, a smoldering look etched on his face while placing his hands in his pockets.

A new song filled the speakers and Carly glanced curiously at the CD player before looking at Felix once more.

"Why did you pick this song?" she questioned seriously.

"Hmm? Oh, I don't know. It just kinda…spoke to me." Freddie offered, feigning nonchalance while moving closer to Carly.

"Oh really? 'Cause this is the song that my husband and I danced to at our wedding." Carly replied pointedly.

"Sounds like a man with great taste." Freddie praised cleverly.

"Do you want me to show you some dance moves?"

"I would love to see some dance moves."

"Great. I actually learnt this one on the day of my wedding, at the reception. It was a pretty small reception: just family and my close friends from school. Ok, I'll stand here and you stand there." Carly commanded gently, being sure to keep a safe distance between her and Felix.

Then Carly began to slowly take Freddie through the steps, bit by bit. She moved two steps backwards, then made several quick steps to her right, where her feet criss-crossed each other. Freddie followed her movements and repeated her actions perfectly.

"Great job, Felix. Now I'm gonna twirl to the left and then you-"

But Freddie didn't need to be told the next part, his hands instinctively moving to Carly's waist and catching her hand in mid-air as he began leading them around the small space.

_Maybe it's the chemistry_

_The sparks that fly from you to me_

Carly watched in fascination as Freddie twirled her around on the spot a second time before bringing her expertly back towards him again, her other hand coming to rest on his arm.

_I touch your skin and feel alive_

_Been searching for you every night_

Carly subtly moved Freddie's hand back up towards her arm instead of where it had previously been resting, creeping down slowly towards the small of her back while they continued dancing together.

_Where am I supposed to go?_

_I'm hoping that you won't say no_

_We've got all the time in the world_

Carly was having a very difficult time avoiding Felix's penetrating stare while they danced together. She didn't even know him and yet…he was so familiar in the way he spoke to her and interacted with everyone else in her family. Even keeping his subtle advances in check was becoming a trial in itself, especially when it felt like her skin was igniting right beneath her each time he touched her. What was going on here? Carly felt like she was slowly losing her grip on reality.

_It must be the chemistry_

_Tonight_

"Wow, you really picked up on that dance move quickly," she stammered rapidly, trying to keep her voice steady and calm.

"Mrs. Benson, do you think there's any chance that you and your husband will ever get back together?" Freddie asked unexpectedly.

_And I hope that you know_

_I won't let you go this time_

_It must be the chemistry_

_Between you and I_

Carly goggled slightly at this question. While Felix had that familiar air to him, she also acknowledged just how mysterious he really was. One minute, it would seem like he was going out of his way to compliment her and even flirt with her to an extent. And in the same breath, he would suddenly mention Freddie, her soon-to-be ex-husband. Carly really was having a hard time reading this man-child before her.

_Underneath the starry sky_

_You can bring me back to life_

"Um…no." Carly answered after a second or two of deliberation.

Now it was Freddie's turn to goggle at his wife while he held her close.

"No? How can you be so sure?" he questioned seriously, his hand slipping down towards the small of Carly's back once more.

Carly was quick to move Freddie's hand higher up her body once again while she studied his face. Any sensible woman would have already left the room and yet…she was having a difficult time feeling any sensation in her legs.

_I touch your skin and feel alive_

_Been searching for you every night_

"Isn't there something he could do to fix things?" Freddie asked gently.

"I love my husband, and I care about him a lot. But sometimes, it's just not enough." Carly answered truthfully while she and Felix continued swaying together.

Freddie nodded soberly, understanding where Carly was coming from by saying that.

"Well, he definitely blew it with you," he answered sincerely, his eyes locked on Carly.

"Jump," he commanded suddenly, spinning Carly away from him.

"What?" Carly asked in confusion as she moved back towards Felix.

She shrieked in surprise when Freddie's hand moved under the backs of her thighs and hoisted her high into the air, his other hand moving towards her back to steady her. With the sudden elevation, Carly's hands instinctively wrapped around Freddie's neck, drawing him in even closer to her while he swayed on the spot with her in his arms.

_Take me somewhere I don't know_

_Watch all the people down below_

_We've got all the time in the world_

All of Carly's former misgivings about Matt's new best friend seemed to vanish completely out of the window at this particular juncture in the dance. She was staring transfixed into Felix's hazel-brown eyes, fluctuating between the swirling of a black dress to a white dress as she thought back to the day of her wedding reception.

_It must be the chemistry_

_Tonight_

_Everyone was cheering and clapping all around them, waving flutes of champagne high in the air. But Carly wasn't focused on anyone else but Freddie, whose lips had curled into his signature smirk while he held her close. She had been feeling self-conscious leading up to the day because of the bulge on her belly, which was finally beginning to show. But the way that Freddie was looking at her in the moment, his hand caressing her belly gently through her wedding dress, made Carly feel more beautiful than she had ever felt in her whole life. They were swaying in time to the soft music playing through the speakers, Carly's arms draped around Freddie's neck, their foreheads touching, alone to everyone but each other. _

_And I hope that you know_

_I won't let you go this time_

Carly and Freddie continued spinning around on the spot, Freddie holding Carly tightly in his arms. They hadn't taken their eyes off of each other since he had lifted her in the air; he idly wondered if she could hear how hard his heart was thumping in his chest in the moment.

"Mom?"

"Yeah?" Carly asked, clearly still in a daze.

Then she snapped out of it when she realised that Matt was now standing in the doorway to the sitting room, wearing a puzzled expression on his face at her and Felix dancing together. Carly immediately hopped back down onto the ground, out of Freddie's arms till she stood a few centimetres away from him.

"Hi, Matt." Carly squeaked sheepishly while Freddie looked like a deer caught in headlights.

Matt made no response save to gesture between the two of them, confusion still rampant on his face.

"I'm your Mom. I'm Matt's mom, Felix." Carly declared, gazing reproachfully at Freddie.

"Yeah," Freddie agreed stupidly, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

"Your date's here." Matt announced slowly.

"Huh?" Carly asked in bewilderment, her eyes still on Felix as she walked slowly towards the sitting room door.

"Your date's at the front door." Matt repeated patiently.

"Right…awesome. Ok, see you later, honey." Carly greeted vaguely before exiting the room.

Freddie snapped out of his stupor and grinned to himself, wondering idly if he had actually gotten to Carly as much as he had initially perceived during their dance. He stopped smiling when he caught sight of Matt's puzzled expression.

"Your mom was nervous about her date, I was just helping her…relax. That's creepy, right?" Freddie questioned haphazardly.

"A little bit." Matt replied matter-of-factly.

"She's so old. Not even like 'cougar old', just 'old', just like somebody's…mom." Freddie ventured lamely, hoping that Matt took the bait.

Then he gave up and strolled out of the sitting room.

"Do you dance with all of your friend's moms like that?" Matt questioned suspiciously, exiting the sitting room and following closely behind Felix.

"Pretty much," Freddie answered dryly.

* * *

**Musical References:**

**1) **"**Chemistry (acoustic)" by One Night Only (recorded especially for 'Burberry Acoustic' for the Vogue Fashion Night Out, London)**

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note: Alright, what's the verdict? I hope you all enjoyed Freddie helping Matt with basketball and Gibby's attempts to woo Tasha. As for my favourite part, it's definitely the Creddie dance. I've said it before, I can't seem to write a story that doesn't involve dancing (save for 'Manhunt', which is a cross-over slasher fic). Meh, what are you gonna do? Even though I downloaded 'Chemistry' by One Night Only a few days ago, it already has a special place in my heart. If any of you want to listen to it to get a feel for this chapter, look up the 'acoustic' version online, you'll find a video link with George Craig (the lead singer) walking through the streets of London and playing his guitar. It's soooo romantic : D Alright, enough fan-girl squeeing. I'm off to take a now, cheerio!  
**


	9. The Impulse

**Author's Note: Hey, everybody! How's it hanging? I hope you've all a super week. I finished my exams, so that's definitely a cause for celebrations (even if my final results aren't, lol). Lots of drama this week, but I think my temperament was better equipped to handle it this time, unlike last week (that wasn't pretty). This new chapter follows directly from last week's chapter, in that it's still the same night of events. So without further ado, hope you all enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly or "17 Again". Tough Kumquats.  
**

* * *

As Freddie made his way to the kitchen in his old home to get him and Matt some more sports drinks, he heard scintillating laughter near the back door. He peeked around the corner and found Carly chatting animatedly with a stranger in his late thirties with silvery hair, who stood leisurely in the doorway. So this was Carly's date who was taking her dancing. Freddie inwardly scoffed at the thought, folding his arms tightly across his chest while watching the older man hand Carly a bouquet of flowers.

"Oh, thank you, Paul. These are lovely," Carly gushed appreciatively, smiling widely at her date.

"Daisies on the first date, what a douche," Freddie mumbled softly under his breath, knowing full well that Carly's favourite flowers were orchids.

But clearly, it wasn't soft enough, because both Carly and her date rounded on Freddie: her date wearing an expression of surprise while Carly openly glared at Felix.

"Felix," she hissed furiously.

"Paul, I'm so sorry," Carly apologised sincerely, turning to her date once more.

"No, it's ok, Carly. It's not weird at all, I get it. I have a son too. It's natural to wanna look out for your mom, protect the castle and stuff." Paul answered stoically with a stab at bashfulness.

"He's not my son." Carly answered pointedly.

"Oh. Well then, that is weird." Paul affirmed truthfully with a nervous smile.

"Shall we get going?"

"Yeah, sure. Let me just go grab my coat."

"Ok. I'll meet you by the car."

"Felix, do me a favour and put these in some water," Carly implored hurriedly as she made to move past the young man.

She was not impressed in the least when Freddie stepped in front of her to cut her off.

"You're going on a date with him? Really?" Freddie demanded incredulously.

"Paul is a ring designer and a really nice guy. So yes, I am going on a date with him." Carly spat impatiently, standing her ground.

"Oh come on, Mrs. Benson, you can't be serious! You're picking Old Man River over Uncle Freddie?" Freddie exclaimed excitably with the flowers clutched tightly in his hands and hopping on the spot.

"That's enough, Felix!" Carly interjected firmly.

She calmed herself down and moved to the kitchen counter to pick up a large beige envelope off of its marble surface. Then she handed it to Felix.

"When you see Freddie, please give this to him. It's our divorce papers, which he still needs to sign, along with details about the new court date. Tell him he needs to be there this time. I have to go."

With one last mournful look at Felix, Carly moved past Freddie and retrieved her jacket, which hung on the coat rack in the hallway. Then she came back into the kitchen again and walked calmly out of the backdoor. Still holding the flowers and his divorce papers in his hands, Freddie watched as his wife got into the car with another man before driving off to some unknown destination.

"Bye," Freddie whispered sadly.

He couldn't believe that Carly had just left and gone on her date anyway. Freddie had felt certain for a split second that Carly had felt something for him, especially when they had been dancing together in the dining room. And if Matt hadn't interrupted them, he felt sure that Carly wouldn't have been able to deny what was happening between the two of them. Even though he looked a lot different, Freddie knew Carly as well as anybody; she just wasn't that good an actress when it came to matters of the heart.

Freddie wasn't left to ponder on his own melancholy for too long when a second car pulled up abruptly next to the house at the exact same point where Paul had just parked. Alternative rock music blaring loudly from the car speakers, which was sure to annoy the neighbours for a good minute. Freddie caught sight of a shock of bleach blonde hair (which protruded from the car window momentarily), confirming that it was Reed behind the wheel. He frowned in confusion when his daughter exited the house, sprinting from the front door to the black car like Satan was behind her.

"Where are you going?" Freddie asked in spite of himself to the back of Corrie's head.

"Michelle's party at West Seattle Bowl," Corrie answered hurriedly before hopping into what Freddie assumed was Reed's car and not a stolen vehicle.

Freddie watched them speed off, a sudden impulse formulating in his mind.

"MATT!" he roared loudly.

Matt came sprinting into the kitchen 5 seconds later, completely out of breath.

"Dude, what's with the yelling? I thought you were coming back outside so we could play some more one-on-one basketball." Matt countered in an annoyed tone.

"Change of plans. Grab a jacket, we're going to a party." Freddie announced smoothly, a gleam in his eye.

* * *

West Seattle Bowl was crowded to the brim with high school students, talking and laughing together under pink and blue strobe lights scattered around the bowling alley.

"Felix, this is a bad idea. I can't be here right now!" Matt exclaimed for the umpteenth since they'd arrived.

"Relax, Matt. This is a party, chill out." Freddie responded cheerily, feeling strangely elated in spite of everything that had transpired during the evening.

A few people nodded and waved at him while he responded in kind, a big smile on his face. Maybe a party was just the thing to help take his mind off of Carly. And he could find Corrie too and make sure that Reed wasn't trying to impregnate her.

"Seriously, Felix. I can't be here, not with Reed around. Do you know how many hurtful things he can do to me in a bowling alley? He can shove me up one of those ball return slots. Have you ever gotten stuck up one of those things? It's not pretty at all, my friend." Matt continued in an anxious voice, his eyes darting frantically around him.

"Reed isn't gonna do anything, Matt. You're on the basketball team now, so he can't touch you. So try to enjoy it, this is your party." Freddie responded earnestly, clapping his son affectionately on the back.

Matt only got a second of relief from his friend's speech before his eyes widened in horror again.

"Oh no, she's here!" he hissed in despair.

"Who's here?" Freddie asked curiously.

He turned around to where Matt was staring and grinned pointedly. The object of his son's affections, Nicole, was standing a few paces away, chatting animatedly with a few of her cheerleader friends.

"Say, isn't that Nicole? The girl you like?" Freddie teased airily, throwing Matt a sly wink.

"Shut up, dude, quit looking at her! She can hear you!" Matt squealed in agony before belching unexpectedly, causing Freddie to stare at him in confusion.

"Dude, did you just burp?" Freddie asked quizzically.

"Yeah I did, so what? I have tummy issues, get over it!" Matt snapped comically.

"Tummy issues? Look, nevermind. So what if Nicole hears me? Then she'll finally know that you like her. Go talk to her." Freddie urged amiably.

"I can't talk to Nicole, man! What am I gonna say to her? She's not gonna like me, Felix. She'll think I'm a loser." Matt whined dramatically.

"Why are you a loser? Just because Reed says so? Do you think Reed's a winner? Matt, Reed Atwood is going nowhere. Any girl in this room would be lucky to go out with a guy like you." Freddie declared earnestly.

"Oh yeah? And what do you know about girls and relationships anyway?" Matt teased airily.

"Here's what I know about girls and relationship. I used to date the most beautiful girl back at my old school. Matt, she was amazing in every way that counted: great personality, great sense of humour, and she had a good heart. And like an idiot, I let her slip through my fingers, just like that. I've regretted it ever since. Don't make the same mistake I did, especially if you really like Nicole. Talk to her, Matt." Freddie prodded gently.

"Ok, you're right, Felix. I'm on the basketball team now, so I have a legit reason for talking to her. I'm gonna walk up to her and introduce myself…maybe some time tomorrow after first period. Probably not." Matt declared abruptly.

Just as he made to sprint away, Freddie caught him around the elbow to stop him. Then he gently turned Matt around and steered him closer towards Nicole.

"Carpe diem, bro. You're the man, you can do this." Freddie stated reassuringly.

Matt gave Freddie a weak smile, then squared his shoulders before heading towards Nicole and her friends. Freddie shook his head laughingly before going off on his own quest to find Corrie.

* * *

Freddie spotted Corrie's three best friends sitting alongside one of the bowling alleys a few minutes later and made a beeline for them.

"Hey, ladies. How are you all this lovely evening?" Freddie greeted smoothly with a wide smile on his face.

"Hi, Felix. It's so great that you came to the party. How are you?" Lalita asked warmly, an alluring smile on her face.

"I'm good. Have you guys seen Corrie?" Freddie asked politely.

"Oh, Corrie's not here right now. But uh, I am." Lalita offered seductively, her fingertips dancing across Freddie's shoulder blade.

"Yeah, sit with us. It's my birthday." Michelle added in a low.

"Oh, it's your birthday? Happy birthday, Michelle. I'm sorry, I didn't get you anything though." Freddie apologised meekly.

"Don't worry about it. I guess I'll just have to unwrap you instead." Michelle noted demurely, getting to her feet and wrapping her arms around Freddie's neck.

Freddie laughed nervously, gently disentangling himself from Michelle's grasp and putting a safe distance between the two of them. Then he turned around and nearly collided with Jamie, who was standing inches away from his face.

"You know, I was actually kicked off of the cheerleading squad for being too flexible." Jamie purred saucily while biting her bottom lip and stroking Freddie's bicep.

For a moment, Freddie let his mind wander into unusual territory involving a very bendy blonde teenage girl before he forced himself to snap back to reality. He literally shook himself and stepped away from Jamie.

"Ok, girls, sit down. I wanna talk to the three of you for a second." Freddie implored gently.

Corrie's three best friends sat down obediently on the leather couch behind them, staring up at Freddie expectantly. Freddie in turn took up a neutral stance by standing in front of a wooden table behind him.

"You three girls have got a lot going for you: you're all smart, beautiful and talented. But all of your self-worth is directly related to how you dress and what you look like. It's based on what other people, especially boys, think of you. If you don't respect yourselves…then how do you expect anyone else to respect you?" Freddie asked seriously.

"Then don't respect me," Lalita responded decisively.

"No, don't respect me," Jamie interjected rapidly.

"You don't even have to remember my name," Michelle concluded assuredly.

"Wow, Michelle. Really slutty." Lalita gaped in awe.

"You are such a slut, Michelle." Jamie praised.

"This is some other dad's problem." Freddie quipped dryly before walking away, leaving the three girls to talk amongst themselves again.

* * *

After deliberating for a long while, Matt finally worked up the courage to talk to Nicole, whose friends had politely left them alone while they went to get drinks. Unlike the rest of the cheerleaders, Nicole was surprisingly down to earth and easy-going. This was part of the reason why she listened attentively to Matt, even though he currently wasn't making much sense.

"…um, and I just wanted to tell you that you look like my dog." Matt declared suddenly.

Nicole furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at this.

"Excuse me?" she asked incredulously.

"I mean your hair…looks like my dog's hair." Matt clarified.

"Oh, um…" Nicole murmured abashedly while running a hand self-consciously through her black hair.

"No, that's a good thing. It's just so soft and shiny. We give my dog special food with flax in it." Matt amended soothingly.

"Oh, flax. That's sweet." Nicole murmured, feeling a little bit better.

"Yeah, she's a sweetheart. Well, she died." Matt offered slowly.

"So…I look like your dead dog?" Nicole asked in bewilderment.

Matt's eyes widened in horror and he whipped around on the balls of his feet, as if he was expecting the crew from 'Candid Camera' to come popping out of somewhere.

"Oh my God, that came out completely wrong. I'm so sorry, I'm such an idiot, Nicole. I'm just really nervous, and I've wanted to talk to you for so long…" Matt rambled on apologetically.

"Don't worry about it, really." Nicole chided softly, but to no avail.

"What was I thinking? There are so many people here," Matt mumbled more to himself.

While trying to compose himself, he had rested his foot on top of the wooden table behind him, next to a lit candle.

"Uh…Matt?" Nicole asked tentatively.

"Oh my God, you remembered my name." Matt breathed, a relieved chuckle escaping his mouth.

"You're on fire." Nicole offered simply.

"Really?" Matt asked in a seedy tone.

"No, seriously. You're literally on fire!" Nicole pointed out, her eyes drifting towards Matt's leg.

Matt looked down and yelped in horror at the sight of his pants leg, which was currently alight with an amber flame.

"Whoa! Ok, um…I'm gonna get out of here and uh…put the fire out. Later." Matt greeted hurriedly before sprinting towards the boy's bathroom.

"See you later. Good luck," Nicole called out helplessly before sighing loudly, inwardly thinking it was a pity because Matt Benson was kind of cute.

* * *

While Freddie was searching the bowling alley for Corrie, he came across Reed and a few of his friends standing in the hallway. They were standing in front of a tall glass trophy case, pointing and laughing loudly. And standing inside this trophy case were four nerdy-looking guys, holding colourful balloons and princess sceptres in their hands and wearing shiny tiaras on their heads, looking extremely morose. The key to the trophy case was inside with the four unfortunate boys, conveniently out of reach for both Reed and them to retrieve.

"If you guys could just hand me the keys, they're right there by your feet…" Reed trailed off, his lip trembling with the effort not to start laughing.

"Reed, it looks like they're gonna be in there for the night," one of Reed's jock friends cackled loudly.

"You're right, Jason, this is a big problem. If the keys are locked in there, I don't know how I'm gonna get you guys out." Reed guffawed unapologetically.

Freddie watched the overt display of humiliation with distaste. A part of him wished that there was something he could do that would ensure Reed didn't make life worse for these four guys if he tried to intervene. But right now, he was more focused on talking to his daughter, someone else that he didn't want Reed to inevitably hurt in the long run.

"You'd better conserve some air. Don't scream in there, you have a limited amount of oxygen." Reed continued on unpleasantly.

Freddie looked around him and caught sight of Corrie sitting somewhere above him on the second level, eating frozen yoghurt.

"Aww, they're pretty huh? We've got some pretty ladies in here." Reed continued pleasantly, talking to a few girls as they passed by him.

Shaking his head, Freddie gave up on that particular lost cause and went upstairs to find Corrie. She was sitting on a leather sofa in a gallery overlooking the bowling alleys. They were several couples sitting along the four corners of the room making out, but Corrie didn't seem to be paying attention to them, her cellphone resting in her other hand while she sat by herself.

"Oh, there you are." Freddie stated cheerily by way of greeting.

Corrie's eyes narrowed in suspicion as her brother's new best friend came to sit down next to her. Freddie stretched out on the leather recliner and made himself comfortable, clearing his throat a few times while doing so. Corrie was beginning to get seriously annoyed with him. Why was this guy everywhere she was all of a sudden?

"What do you want, Felix?" Corrie snapped impatiently.

"I just wanna talk about Reed." Freddie began patiently.

"Yeah? What about him?" Corrie questioned in bewilderment.

Freddie was surprised that Corrie would even ask that question, but decided to plough on with what he had to say about his daughter's boyfriend.

"Corrie, why are you dating him? You know he's not a nice guy, right?" Freddie questioned vehemently.

"He's crazy." He added in a small voice while twirling his index finger around his own head to prove his point.

"Hey, don't say that about Reed. You don't even know him." Corrie protested heatedly.

"Oh, but I do know him, Corrie. I know him a lot better than what you think." Freddie pressed seriously.

"Well, it doesn't matter what you or anyone thinks about Reed. We're moving in together after graduation." Corrie stated matter-of-factly.

"Reed got into Stamford too?" Freddie asked in confusion.

At this, both Corrie and Freddie looked at each other in puzzlement, both feeling like they had missed a vital piece of information somewhere.

"What? No, Reed didn't get into Stamford. He got onto the management track at Home Depot." Corrie answered happily.

"Oh, great." Freddie replied sarcastically.

"So I'm gonna go to Central Community College to be closer to him. He's my soul mate." Corrie murmured dreamily.

Freddie felt the distinct symptoms of a heart attack coming on in his early life while he listened to his daughter's future with her good-for-nothing boyfriend.

"Yeah, there's no way in hell that's happening." Freddie declared brightly.

"Excuse me?" Corrie demanded in surprise.

"I said that there is no way in hell that is happening." Freddie repeated more assuredly.

"Do you honestly think I'm gonna let you mortgage your future? You think I'm going to let you throw away all your hard work…everything you've accomplished…_for Reed Atwood? _You're really going to screw up your life for some psychopathic guy who doesn't care about you, Corrie?" Freddie demanded fervently, his voice rising with every passing second.

"You can't do that, I won't let you do that. I forbid you. I forbid you to see him anymore." Freddie concluded in a deathly ominous voice.

Corrie goggled in anger at Felix before unleashing her feelings on him.

"Oh, ok! What is wrong with you? I just met you, and now you're actually telling me what to do? You may have everyone else in my family fooled, but you can't fool me! Who the hell do you think you are, Felix? _My father? Dude!" _Corrie shrieked indignantly before scrambling to her feet in a mad huff.

"Don't walk away from me," Freddie commanded in a low voice.

"You're a freak!" Corrie snapped wrathfully.

"Don't you dare walk away from me, Corrie Pauletta Benson!" Freddie thundered irately.

Corrie ignored him and stalked out of the room. As Freddie made to go after her, Matt came sauntering into the gallery, looking decidedly disgruntled.

"Hey, how did it go with Nicole?" Freddie asked brightly, perking up instantly at his son's arrival and forgetting momentarily about his and Corrie's argument.

"Fantastic." Matt retorted sarcastically.

Freddie looked down at Matt's pants and realised that it was smoking.

"Hey, what happened to your leg?" he asked curiously, cocking his head to the side to get a closer look.

* * *

**Author's Note: Quite a few scenes in this chapter, but no pitching of tents and camping overnight because of the overwhelming word count, so phew ; ) So Freddie and Corrie finally got some face-time, but it didn't end quite how Freddie wanted it to. Will he ever get through to his daughter about Reed? My favourite quote of the film: "This is some other dad's problem", good ol' Zac Efron. Alright, I'm off to catch some much-needed Zzzz's before putting out more fires of drama. Up next for drama: my mom's birthday today (egad!). Just kidding (I hope), have a great weekend, everybody! **


	10. The Turnaround

**Author's Note: Hello, my fellow iCarly peers! I hope you're all revved up for 'iStart A Fanwar', which is airing soon or has already aired (I really can't remember, time is such an arbitrary thing to me). The story traffic on this fic has been crazy since the start of the month: 679 hits and 276 visitors, the highest stats of my stories. So a big thank you for that to all of you out there. I've been busy writing like a crazy person lately: for this story, my Suite Life espionage story, a Suite Life holiday collection and for Nanowrimo too - I'm a writing maniac! Anyhoo, enough of my craziness. I hope you all like this new chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly in any way that counts, so no royalties for me I'm afraid.  
**

* * *

The first game of the basketball season at Ridgeway was in full swing. The auditorium was packed to the brim with eager high school students, die-hard adult fans and the occasional college scout looking for new talent. The cheerleaders had already begun their routine, their faces alight and flushed with excitement while they danced.

Freddie's mood and general enthusiasm for the game was tempered in light of what had transpired recently with both Carly and Corrie. He wasn't angry with either woman in his life for their complete disregard of his feelings; in many ways, he felt like he deserved it. But it still hurt that both his wife and daughter were taking great strides to get away from him and move on with their lives. As a result, he was somewhat distracted when the game began.

"Gibson! Get your head out of your ass and in the game!" Coach Lennox roared from the sidelines.

Freddie shook himself mentally and focused his attention on the game at hand. But he still managed a casual glimpse at Carly, who had come to watch Matt's first game. She wasn't alone either; she had brought Paul along too.

"Wow, this is some turn-out," Paul marvelled in awe, his eyes darting eagerly around him at his surroundings.

Carly gave him a wan smile which didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Is everything ok, Carly? You look a little uncomfortable. Was it something I said?" Paul asked in concern.

"No, it's not you, Paul. I'm just a little distracted today. This is actually the first time that I've been back in this gym after 17 years." Carly admitted meekly.

"17 years? Wow, that's a long time. What happened the last time you were here?" Paul questioned curiously.

"My husband asked me to marry him," Carly confessed seriously, her eyes drawn momentarily to Felix's form while he sped across the court with basketball in hand.

"Oh. That's tough to compete with on a second date." Paul joked feebly, feeling distinctly awkward.

After passing the ball to one of his team mates, Freddie chanced another glance at the bleachers and laid eyes on his daughter instead, who was sitting just above the team bench. Seeing Carly talking animatedly to her date and Corrie's adoring eyes staring at Reed, who was currently guarding an opponent, spurred Freddie on to play even better than before. He got his opportunity three seconds later when he managed to steal the ball back from an idle opponent, making a mad dash for the hoop with the other opponents hot on his tail. He made it to the hoop a second later, executing a perfect lay-up and earning his team an additional two points for Ridgeway, who was currently in the lead. The crowd roared its approval, lightening Freddie's mood momentarily while he revelled in their cheering.

Then disaster struck when one of Freddie's team-mates named Alex was knocked purposely onto his stomach by an opponent who tried to stop the former from getting to the basket. The away team cheered openly while the Ridgeway crowd booed loudly at the deliberate foul. The referee called for a time-out and Coach Lennox came rushing onto the court, followed by the rest of the team who came to inspect Alex, who was clutching his stomach in agony.

"It looks like you're winded, Alex. You'd better sit out for the rest of the last quarter. Benson, you're up!" Coach Lennox barked unexpectedly.

Matt, who had been sitting on the bench for most of the game, looked up at Coach Lennox in alarm.

"What are you doing? Waiting for a second invitation? Get in the game!" Coach Lennox shouted impatiently at his newest player.

"Yes, sir!" Matt squeaked and began hurriedly pulling off his team tracksuit, wearing his basketball uniform underneath.

Then Matt ran onto the basketball court and got into position. The referee blew his whistle and the game began in full swing. Their opponents were slowly gaining the upper hand, levelling the scores with 5 minutes left on the clock. Both teams played hard during the final quarter, Ridgeway fuelled by the foul on their player as they sprinted forward each time. Freddie left his position up front and went to help at the back as the away team's shooting guard made a break for the basket. He was stopped in his tracks by Matt, who dove majestically between the player trying to aim off a pass to his team mate. As the ball sprang free, Freddie grabbed the ball and sped forward.

Freddie tried his best to shake off the two defenders, who were currently double-teaming him. As he glanced around the court, he realised that his only option was to pass to Reed, who was open upfront and nearest to the basket. But then he caught sight of Matt, who had shrugged off one of his opponents and had sprinted off to his left. Freddie glanced momentarily at his daughter before making his decision. He side-stepped both his opponents and passed the ball behind his back to Matt, who had a clear shot behind the three-point line.

"Shoot, Benson!" Coach Lennox shrieked hysterically.

With only a split second of hesitation, Matt lifted off the ground and fired a powerful shot with a flick of his wrist. Everyone watched with baited breath as the orange ball soared through the air. Then it made contact with the basket, swishing comfortably through the net. The Ridgeway crowd was on their feet in the auditorium, screaming wildly in celebration at the victory. But no one was jumping higher or screaming louder than Carly, happy unshed tears in her eyes while she cheered like crazy for her youngest son. The Ridgeway basketball team were all huddled together, hugging each other and shouting in exhilaration as they all crowded around Matt Benson, who looked confused by all the attention, but happy nevertheless. The only one who didn't seem that thrilled was Reed, who stood a few inches away with his hands on his hips, looking positively disgruntled.

"You did it, Matt! That was incredible!" Freddie roared in delight while hugging his son.

"Nah, dude. I couldn't have knocked down the shot if you hadn't passed me the ball." Matt responded modestly.

"Uh uh, that was all you, bro." Freddie praised sincerely while clapping Matt affectionately on the back.

Another one of their team players suddenly drew Freddie into a bear hug, leaving Matt standing by himself momentarily. But then he watched as the cheerleaders flooded the basketball court too, Nicole running towards him with a big smile on her face.

"Matt, that was an incredible shot!" she gushed admiringly before enveloping Matt in a warm embrace.

"Oh um, yeah. Uh, thanks, Nicole." Matt murmured feebly, enjoying a hug from the girl of his dreams.

When the hug continued for longer than necessary, both of them eventually pulled away with evident blushes on their cheeks.

"Sorry, I'm all sweaty and stuff," Matt mumbled sheepishly.

"It's ok. Um…I should probably go congratulate the rest of the team so that no one thinks I'm showing any favouritism." Nicole replied abashedly, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Uh, yeah. I wouldn't want anyone accusing you of nepotism…or something similar." Matt remarked lamely, inwardly cursing himself.

"Yeah, sure. I guess I'll see you around." Nicole concluded simply.

"Yeah, see ya. Great dance," Matt greeted back with a wave of his hand.

Nicole bit her bottom lip before turning away and going over to the rest of the basketball team. Matt watched her go, a swooping sensation forming in his stomach. Then he shook his head and jogged back to the rest of his team mates, who continued congratulating him on a job well done.

* * *

"…Yeah, that's good. August sounds perfect…" Tasha concurred, talking to a member of her teaching staff while she walked.

Students and parents alike were bustling all around her as they made their way out of Ridgeway High at the end of the game that Friday afternoon, sunset slowly approaching in the distance.

After saying goodbye to the teacher in question, Tasha began strolling swiftly towards the stairs leading to the parking lot. She groaned audibly when she spotted Gibby standing at the bottom of the stairs, wearing jeans, a white dress shirt and a motley coloured brown jacket.

As the doting fake father of an equally fake son, Gibby too had gone to Freddie's first basketball game of the season. But he really hadn't been watching the game that much, his attention completely focused on Principal Baxter, who was seated somewhere in the middle of the school gym. So far, he'd gotten no indication from her that she was interested in him in any way. But Gibby was a patient man. Tasha Baxter was easily the most captivating woman he had ever met in his life and he wasn't about to give up just yet. So he had left a minute before the end of the game to give himself some time to prepare.

As Tasha made to walk down the stairs with her dignity still intact, Gibby cut her off by stepping in front of her at the bottom. As Tasha made to cross over to the other side of the stairwell, Gibby did the exact same thing, making her increasingly irritated. Was the man incapable of taking no for an answer? Hadn't the portrait, the purchase of a brand new school bus, the purchase of a brand new car for her, an array of flowers and imported chocolates and two airline tickets for a weekend in Paris been enough humiliation for her?

Then when Tasha had finally decided that she was just going to ignore him, Gibby hopped over the metal railing right before her eyes, till he was standing in front of her.

"Oh hi, Principal Baxter. Fancy meeting you here! What are the odds?" Gibby exclaimed facetiously.

"What's it gonna be this time, Gibby? Are you planning on buying me the Statue of Liberty next?" Tasha demanded waspishly.

"Oh, it's 'Gibby' now, is it? Look at that, we've finally progressed to a 'first-name basis'. That's growth right there." Gibby teased lightly.

When Tasha didn't crack a smile, Gibby decided to stop beating about the bush.

"Ok, I'm just gonna come right out and say it. I like you, Tasha, and I wanna ask you on out a date, like a grown-up. Just think of it as two friends having dinner. And if it turns into anything more, we'll cross that bridge when we get there." Gibby declared seriously.

"No. Good night." Tasha responded assuredly, moving past Gibby and walking down the stairs.

"I'll buy every student at Ridgeway a laptop!" Gibby called out spontaneously, trying everything in the book to get Tasha to hear him out.

Tasha ignored him and continued walking.

"You would really deny the children of laptops? Ms. Baxter, I never expected this of you!" Gibby exclaimed dramatically.

"Ms. Baxter! Think of the children!" he proclaimed in a ringing tone, getting a few people to turn their heads and stare at him.

That got Tasha's attention as she marched a few paces back towards Gibby while he shamelessly tried to make her guilty on account of her students.

"Ok, ok! Fine, fine! But this is not a date!" Tasha hissed, her faces inches away from Gibby's.

"Fine, this is in no way a date at all." Gibby agreed rapidly.

"And if I do this, you will stop with the inappropriate behaviour and gifts." Tasha continued in a no-nonsense tone.

"Yes." Gibby answered swiftly.

"And we're just gonna drive to this restaurant. We're not gonna fly there in a space shuttle that you loaned from NASA. And I don't wanna be carted around in some ridiculously extravagant gaudy, tacky limo either." Tasha concluded wearily.

"That's fine. We'll take your car then." Gibby suggested reasonably as a compromise.

Tasha sized Gibby up for a few seconds more before finally relenting.

"This way," she conceded in a small voice before walking rapidly to her car.

Gibby waited till Tasha was well out of hearing distance when he began speaking rapidly into a tiny microphone attached to the cuff link on his shirt.

"Gibby to driver, abort the mission right away. I repeat: abort right away!" he hissed hurriedly.

Then he began waving wildly to a large gold-coloured vehicle that was shaped both like a Hummer and a stretch limousine, gesturing to the driver to leave the parking lot.

"Move it out right now," Gibby hissed one last time into his hand before sprinting to catch up with Tasha.

* * *

"I totally blew it, Felix."

"What are you talking about, Matt?"

"Nicole came right up to me and hugged me, hugged me! I should've kissed her right then and there, but I froze! I freakin' choked!" Matt exclaimed dramatically.

"Don't worry about it, dude. I'll get you another chance." Freddie promised confidently.

"How are you gonna do that?" Matt questioned sceptically.

Freddie saw Gibby walking towards Tasha's car in the middle of the parking lot. Gibby caught sight of Freddie and pumped his fists eagerly in the air before getting in. Freddie grinned mischievously to himself. So Gibby's plan to take Tasha on a date had gone off without a hitch after all. That made the next course of action much simpler.

"Victory party at my house!" Freddie yelled suddenly with his hands in the air.

The students milling around him and Matt began cheering loudly at the prospect. Then most of them grabbed their cellphones and began texting their friends who weren't in the vicinity to let them know about the party at Felix Gibson's house later that night.

"See? No problem. Nicole's bound to show up for the party. See you at my place in an hour." Freddie greeted cleverly before hitting Matt affectionately on the cheek.

* * *

"Good game, man."

Freddie smirked with satisfaction, slapping high-fives with a classmate who had just approached him to offer congratulations. It felt good to be playing basketball after all this time. But more importantly, the look of unadulterated happiness on Matt's face when he had scored the winning shot had easily been his favourite moment in the game.

As Freddie made to take a walk around the bleachers and just savour the moment, he caught sight of a familiar head of black hair sitting within the stands of the school football field. Frowning, he began jogging quickly to reach his destination. He came across a forlorn-looking Corrie, sitting in the stands while hugging her legs tightly to her chest, her eyes red and distinctly puffy-looking while she cried.

"Corrie?" Freddie asked in alarm the closer he got to his daughter.

"Go away." Corrie instructed tersely, turning away from Felix.

"Hey, Corrie. What's going on? What's wrong?" Freddie pressed anxiously.

Corrie made no movement except to continue staring straight ahead of her while sniffling softly.

"What do you want, Felix? Did you come to rub it in my face and say, 'I told you so'?" she asked stiffly after a long while.

"I just came to see if you're ok."

"Well I'm not."

"What happened?" Freddie questioned in concern.

"Reed dumped me." Corrie lamented, a fresh batch of tears escaping her eyes as she began sobbing.

"What? Why?" Freddie queried in surprise, not expecting this to be the source of his daughter's misery.

"What did he do?" he questioned in alarm.

"After the game…he took me aside and said that he wanted to be with me, that he wanted to take our relationship to the next level. So we went behind the quad and we started kissing and then…" Corrie began slowly.

Freddie had already placed his hands over his eyes as he contemplated in advance what Corrie was about to say to him.

"Corrie, you didn't? Oh God, please tell me you didn't." Freddie pleaded in an anguished voice.

And then he felt his heart break from deep within him. All of his daughter's dreams and ambitions, every chance of happiness, all possibility was lost. People could tell him that sex didn't change anything between two people, but he knew better than anyone that it changed everything. As much as he had loved Carly with all of his heart, those few seconds of first finding out that he was about to become a father had felt more like a death sentence; the ending of his youth and innocence. Only a few select could truly appreciate how hard he and Carly had fought to make things work between them for as long as they had: two teenagers trying to make a life for themselves and for a new family suddenly thrust upon them. And he had never wanted either of his children to have to go through that.

And then another startling possibility occurred to him: what if Corrie had been pressurised into consummating her relationship with Reed? Her daughter's ex-boyfriend seemed like just the type to turn nasty if he didn't get his way. What if he had hurt Corrie physically in any way? Or worse, assaulted her? The only thing in Freddie's mind that was worse than Reed taking advantage of his daughter that way was that creep just taking what he wanted from his daughter and then discarding her like a piece of trash afterwards. Freddie was suddenly nauseated at the prospect, thoughts of obliterating Reed from the face of the earth at the forefront of his mind.

"Nothing happened, Felix. I didn't…I couldn't do it. That's why he dumped me." Corrie admitted morosely.

A wave of blissful glee swept over Freddie and he almost cried with relief. He suddenly felt young again instead of the old decrepit man he had turned into in a matter of minutes at the prospect of his daughter suffering through something terrible at the hands of her psychotic ex-boyfriend.

"I thought he really loved me, Felix. And now as it turns out, all Reed ever wanted from me was sex. I feel so awful right now; I just wanna die." Corrie admitted painstakingly, turning her tear-stained face to face Freddie.

"No, don't say that. It's gonna be ok," Freddie chided soothingly, instinctively taking Corrie into his arms and cupping the back of her head while he tried his best to calm her down.

For once, Corrie didn't try to fend Felix off, but sunk gratefully into his embrace, feeling strangely at ease in his arms.

"It won't always be this way," Freddie promised slowly in Corrie's ear.

"How do you know that?" Corrie asked hoarsely, her face still buried in Freddie's chest.

"I just know. I know it's hard when you're young and you feel like it's the end of the world when your heart gets broken. But it's not, I promise. You've got way too much goodness and strength in you to let a guy like Reed make you feel worthless. You're way too amazing to let something like this get the best of you, Corrie." Freddie declared earnestly, dislodging a few strands of Corrie's hair that had gotten stuck to her cheeks because of her dried tears.

"This isn't the end, it's just the beginning." He concluded gently.

"Really?" Corrie asked in awe, lifting her head to stare her brother's friend full in the face.

"Absolutely. You might have to meet a few more jerks along the way before you meet 'Mr. Right'. But one day, you're gonna find somebody even better than Reed, someone who loves you to distraction, someone who treats you the way you deserve to be treated. The sun rises and sets with you." Freddie pursued gently.

"You really think so?" Corrie asked in a small voice, venturing another gaze at Felix.

"I know so." Freddie confirmed with every ounce of sincerity in his body while rubbing her back comfortingly.

"Wow, that is so sweet. I think I've had you pegged wrong this whole time, Felix. I'm really sorry. Thank you." Corrie murmured sincerely, looking Freddie directly in the eye as she spoke.

"You're welcome." Freddie returned with a small smile on his face.

Corrie leant in and hugged him once more, her face cradled in the crook of Freddie's neck.

"You're the sweetest, Felix." Corrie gushed as she kissed him on the cheek.

"It's ok, don't worry about it," Freddie returned generously, starting to feel a little uncomfortable with his daughter's close proximity to his body.

And when Corrie began leaning even closer into Freddie till she was about to straddle him, Freddie got rapidly to his feet, leaving Corrie sprawled out on her stomach on the cement.

"Anyways," Freddie began with a nervous chuckle.

"The reason I was looking for you was because I uh…wanted to invite you to a party I'm throwing at my place tonight. I don't know if you'd wanna come…" Freddie added awkwardly.

"I'd love to!" Corrie exclaimed enthusiastically without hesitation.

"You would? Oh that's great, Corrie, I'm so glad." Freddie replied happily.

"Me too! Yay!" Corrie cheered, launching herself into Felix's arms with the intention of kissing him on the lips this time.

But Freddie anticipated this just in time and grabbed hold of Corrie's wrists, laughing and cheering right along with her to distract her from her mission.

"Thank you. I'm so excited for tonight." Corrie stated warmly.

"No problem, this is all really exciting. So exciting that I've uh got to um…go right now and…get everything ready for the party." Freddie stated rapidly, inventing it right on the spot.

"I'll see you tonight," he concluded with a small smile.

"Absolutely, see you then." Corrie replied with a tantalising smile on her face that Freddie didn't like one bit.

"Ok then." Freddie remarked before practically sprinting away.

Corrie watched him go with a wistful expression on her face, looking forward to the party and the opportunity to see Felix again.

"That was close," Freddie murmured to himself, idly wondering how much more weirdness would abound in the coming hours at his victory party.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, sockstar, I hope you're happy now. You got a supremely twisted scene with Young Freddie/Corrie with a dab of unwanted sexual tension thrown in the mix ; ) I hope you all liked this one, I really enjoyed writing Gibby and Tasha's scene, so funny in the movie. It is ironic how certain subplots in things tend to be funnier than the rest of the plot. Next chapter is Freddie's party, which I'm hoping will be a laugh a minute for all of you. I'd love to stay and ramble some more, but I'm off to the movies to go watch "Deathly Hallows Pt 1), which is gonna be sooo awesome. Harry Potter Forever! Snapplelinz out! **


	11. The Party

**Author's Note: Ok, folks, bring a tent and a sleeping bag. This is a long chapter, so I'm not gonna bore you with how my week's been. I wrote a lot, that's all you need to know ; )**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own iCarly or 17 Again. Still a bummer.  
**

* * *

After taking a detour of his own, Freddie finally arrived back at Gibby's house in time for the party he was hosting there. There were a couple of his team mates playing basketball in the driveway, aiming a shot or two at the hoop attached to the garage door. As Freddie stepped through the front door, he was met with a host of high school students drinking and talking animatedly together. He caught sight of two guys having a duel with Gibby's collector's light sabers and jogged quickly over to them.

"Great party, Felix!" One of the guys exclaimed eagerly.

"Aw, thanks, bro. Wow, those are some cool light sabers. Mind if I take a look? 'K, thanks." Freddie greeted rapidly and took the light sabers off the two guys.

Freddie deposited the two light sabers into a nearby hamper containing some of Gibby's other prized weapons.

"Don't touch the toys, 'k?" he asked firmly of the two guys, who shrugged and carried on talking together.

As Freddie made his way into the kitchen, he caught sight of Matt and Nicole talking together near the counter and smirked to himself.

"Come on, it wasn't that funny," Matt protested lightly while Nicole continued laughing unabashedly at him.

"I'm sorry, Matt. But it really was; I wish you could've been in my shoes to see how funny you looked running into the men's room at Seattle Bowl with your leg on fire," Nicole chortled.

"Ok, I guess it could've been pretty hilarious from that vantage point. But rest assured, I'll try not to set myself on fire tonight." Matt promised teasingly.

"I believe you. But I'll keep a fire extinguisher on hand just in case," Nicole teased back with a grin on her face which Matt returned.

"Ok, good. Uh, it's getting kinda crowded in here. Do you wanna maybe go sit outside for a little while?" Matt asked nervously.

"Sure," Nicole agreed readily and followed Matt towards the screen door in front of them.

As Matt opened the door for Nicole to walk through, he caught sight of his friend standing in the kitchen as well. Matt smiled at Freddie and gave him a small wave before following Nicole outside into the garden. Freddie watched the two teenagers go and continued smiling to himself. Everything seemed to be working out for the better for his son and his new-found confidence. And Freddie couldn't be happier about it.

* * *

As for Gibby, he and Tasha were currently situated at a table at Petrozinni's, one of Seattle's most prominent 5-star restaurants. A waiter had already approached their table and had offered them a sample of their best wine. While Tasha skimmed through the contents of the menu to see what starter she wanted, Gibby took the liberty of giving the wine in his glass a thorough tasting.

First, he swirled the wine around in his glass to inspect the clarity of the overall colour and texture. Secondly, he placed his round nose all the way into the glass so that he could sniff the wine. He was emitting the strangest sounds from his nose as if he had a head cold; a few people at neighbouring tables were beginning to turn around in their seats to stare at him. Tasha looked up from her menu and stared abashedly at Gibby's performance, unable to form coherent words for her shock and embarrassment at his actions.

But Gibby was far from finished as he took a long and billowing breath after sniffing the wine thoroughly. Then he finally took a sip of the wine and swirled it around his teeth, creating a loud hissing noise which sounded like a gas plate running on a high temperature. This went on for several seconds while Tasha watched him closely, her mouth agape with incredulous chagrin. Then Gibby finally stopped his shenanigans and addressed the waiter with a professional mask in place.

"This is delightful, thank you." He declared solemnly.

The waiter nodded and poured a generous helping of wine into Tasha's glass. But Tasha only had eyes for Gibby, looking in amazement at his composed stance after all his ridiculous theatrics just seconds before.

"What?" Gibby asked in confusion when he caught Tasha staring at him.

Tasha made no response, but simply let her eyes waver between her wine glass and Gibby. He sighed wearily, feeling like the date was doomed to fail after all.

"Look, I'm gonna level with you, Tasha. I don't know how to act normal," Gibby began seriously.

"Clearly," Tasha retorted sardonically.

"That's just how it is; it's the story of my life. I'm not a smooth-talking guy. I'm just bending over backwards to try and impress you," Gibby continued earnestly while locking eyes with Tasha.

For the moment, Tasha was too stunned by Gibby's straightforward admission to offer a response. All she could do for the time-being was stare straight back at him and hear what he had to say.

"I'm not the kind of guy that even comes to fancy restaurants like this. I'm the kind of guy that spends all his time collecting one-of-a-kind props used especially on the sets of 'Galaxy Wars' and 'Lord Of The Rings'. I even bought the white staff used by Ian McKellan when he played 'Gandalf The Grey' in 'The Two Towers', which makes me an even bigger loser." Gibby concluded mournfully.

"You're right, Gibby. That does make you a big loser," Tasha offered sternly.

Gibby fully expected this rebuff and hung his head in shame.

"Ian McKellan played 'Gandalf The White' in 'The Two Towers'. He's only referred to as 'Gandalf The Grey' in 'Fellowship of the Ring'." Tasha concluded with an air of mystique in her tone.

Gibby glanced sharply up at Tasha, who had the equivalent of a Cheshire smirk on her face.

"Wait a minute…you've…you've watched 'Lord Of The Rings'?" Gibby asked in amazement.

"All three of them," Tasha replied swiftly while delicately pursing her hands underneath her chin.

Gibby goggled in surprise at this piece of information.

"Well, well. Tasha Baxter, you are full of surprises," Gibby marvelled earnestly.

"Likewise, Gibby Gibson." Tasha returned seductively with a devilish grin on her face.

Gibby almost choked on the bread stick he was currently consuming. To remedy this, he grabbed his glass of wine and took a large gulp.

"How 'bout some dessert?" Gibby asked courteously of Tasha.

"Sounds good, I think I'll have the chocolate torte. But I should probably have the half-portion. Any more than that and I tend to…lose my inhibitions." Tasha replied in a husky tone.

Gibby almost went into cardiac arrest at the mere idea of Ridgeway's head honcho acting less than appropriate on any given day. And he was liking the idea more and more as the seconds ticked by.

"Waiter!" he bellowed manically.

* * *

"Carls, come on! Let's go already!" Sam bellowed impatiently.

Carly grimaced in the direction of her bedroom door while she applied a layer of lip gloss to her rosy mouth.

"I'll be right there, Sam! I'm just getting my purse!" Carly yelled back.

"Hurry up, Car-laaay! I don't wanna miss the start of the movie previews!" Spencer shouted a second later from the living room.

Carly shook her head and rolled her eyes while she applied a touch of rouge to her cheeks.

Since Matt and Corrie were out of the house that night, the three adults had decided to go watch a late night movie at a cineplex downtown. Even though Carly knew full well that she wasn't going anywhere fancy, she couldn't resist applying a thin layer of make-up to her face.

"Ok, I'm here," Carly announced rapidly as she jogged into the living room where Sam and Spencer sat on the sofa waiting for her.

"It's about time," Spencer stated in a drawling tone.

"Relax, Spencer. I was just putting on a little make-up. I'll remember this the next time you forget to pick me up from my Book Club because you're too busy scamming on that hot chick who works at the bakery down the street," Carly quipped teasingly.

"That was one time. And in her defence…she's really hot." Spencer offered pathetically, which made Carly chuckle.

"What a wholesome story, Spencer. Now that we've established that you look good, Cupcake, can we please go?" Sam interjected hurriedly.

"Ok," Carly relented dramatically.

Just as she moved past the coffee table, she noticed an object lying on its surface.

"Hey, this is Matt's phone. He must've forgotten it when he left earlier," Carly noted pensively.

"Kids," Spencer offered nostalgically.

"He's at a party right now! How am I supposed to call him?" Carly demanded frantically, her brain going into full-parental mode.

"It's no big deal, Carls. Matt's a big boy, he can take care of himself," Sam replied in a nonplussed tone.

"But he might need his cellphone in case of an emergency. Anything can happen at a party and he might need to get hold of me." Carly persisted anxiously.

"Carly, don't you think you're overreacting just a little bit?" Spencer asked calmly.

"Slight change of plan: we'll swing by Gibby's house real quick and give Matt his phone." Carly declared sensibly after a moment's thought.

"But what about the movie?" Spencer whined loudly.

"The movie doesn't start for another hour. I promise we'll be quick, Spencer. We'll just be in and out of Gibby's house." Carly chided smoothly.

"We'd better be. I can't be seen spending too much time in that nub's house or my reputation will be shot," Sam retorted dryly as the three of them walked through the front door.

* * *

Having left Matt and Nicole to their own devices, Freddie continued walking through the house in search of Corrie, wondering if she had arrived yet. He stepped outside onto the second floor where the pool and sun deck were located. He approached when he saw what appeared to be a harassed-looking Corrie trying to get away from Reed, who looked like he was drunk.

"Reed, stop it! Would you just leave me alone already!" Corrie hissed sharply, shrugging out of Reed's grip on her arm.

"Corrie, baby, just listen to me please. Look, I'm sorry about the way I treated you earlier. I was upset and just feeling so confused because you keep telling me you love me, but you won't show me just how much…" Reed trailed off painstakingly.

"Knock it off, Reed. It's not gonna work, I'm with somebody else now," Corrie snapped angrily.

"What?" Reed asked in disbelief.

"Who?" he asked suspiciously.

"The party's over, Reed. Corrie doesn't want you here and neither do I. It's time for you to go," Freddie interjected firmly, coming between the two of them.

Reed chortled openly at Felix's tough stance.

"Is that right? Are you gonna make me leave?" he taunted leeringly.

"I don't have to. It looks like you've been drinking, so the police can escort you off out of here if you won't go willingly." Freddie countered smoothly while retrieving his Pear-phone from the front pocket on his plaid shirt.

Reed's blood-shot eyes stared incredulously between Freddie and Corrie, who remained unmoved by his expression.

"Are you kidding me? You're seriously turning me down for _this guy?_" Reed asked scathingly of his ex-girlfriend.

Corrie made no response, but shrugged in an indifferent manner, which incensed Reed to no end. He shook his head as he made to leave.

"Whatever you say, Pretty Boy. You want the nun? Keep her, it's not like she puts out anyway," he greeted callously with a backwards glance in Corrie's direction before slapping Freddie patronisingly on the cheek.

"On second thought…" Freddie trailed off before he grabbed Reed's arm just as the latter was about to walk away.

But before he could punch him, Reed ducked just in time and punched Freddie square in the nose. The crowd gasped as Freddie hit the wooden deck and lay on his back, knocked out cold.

Freddie's brain was swimming somewhere between reason and rhyme in an incoherent swirl. All he could ascertain was the throbbing pain in his head and nose dealt to him by his daughter's ex-boyfriend. This was becoming an unfortunate pattern of his where he confronted Reed time and time again just to get his ass kicked in return. Maybe Gibby was right, maybe he should start taking karate lessons. Then Freddie relaxed considerably when he felt a pair of familiar hands resting on his head and luxuriously kneading his scalp and temples with dainty fingertips.

"Carls, I'm so glad you're here. I had the craziest dream; I dreamt that I was 17 years old all over again. I was back in high school and it was so terrible…" Freddie lamented with his eyes closed, savouring her touch for as long as he could muster.

Then those playful hands began drifting towards the top of his undershirt as they traced the skin on his neck. Freddie moaned in pleasure and chuckled softly.

"Carls, Car…" he murmured softly.

This had to be a dream, a sweet dream that he wished he never had to wake up from.

"I don't think that driving is a good idea, especially if you have a concussion." Corrie teased with the tiniest of giggles.

Freddie's eyes snapped wide open as he realised all too quickly that his sweet dream had just become his worst nightmare.

"I finally see things clearly, Felix. I know why you didn't want me to be with Reed; it's because you wanted to be with me," Corrie purred softly.

Freddie leapt off the bed he was lying on at those words and far out of reach from Corrie. But she was not to be dissuaded so easily, a playful smirk etched on her face from her vantage point on the bed.

"Oh? You wanna play games? I can play games," she declared sensually.

"Corrie, no…" Freddie begged painstakingly.

"…I'll be the hungry lioness and you can be the baby gazelle," Corrie purred seductively.

"Oh dear God," Freddie thought in horror to himself while he tried to right himself on the floor.

He just managed to jump out of the way when Corrie tried to leap onto him. Then she began chasing him around his room, making roaring sounds like that of a lioness which disturbed him to no end.

"Corrie, listen to me! You have to stop this right now!" Freddie ordered sternly while running around the room in a circle.

"If only you knew how highly inappropriate and dysfunctional this is," he wailed, but to no avail.

He jumped back onto the bed, followed closely by Corrie, who was hot on his heels. Then Freddie leapt over the headboard and stood his ground while trying to fend off his daughter's advances.

"Corrie, I'm not who you think I am," Freddie pleaded hoarsely, finding himself trapped between his daughter and the wall.

"Felix, I know exactly who you are. You're not like the other guys I've ever liked or even like Reed. You're good and kind and sweet," Corrie stated earnestly while grabbing Freddie's face in her hands.

"You're right, I'm not like the other guys you know. _I'm…very different_," Freddie replied with emphasis, trying to get out of Corrie's grasp.

"We're too different! And that's why we can never be together! Corrie, believe me when I say this. I'm saving the two of us from what may very well be hours…years of intensive therapy. And a spot on the 6 o'clock News." Freddie offered facetiously.

"But I don't understand, Felix. Why not?" Corrie asked sadly, stopping her playful attack for a second.

Freddie had no idea what to say next now that Corrie had finally stopped trying to jump him. Corrie searched Felix's eyes for an answer. Then her eyes widened in bewilderment and she cupped her mouth with her hand.

"Oh my God, I can't believe I didn't see it before. Are you…_confused_?" Corrie asked in awe, stepping away from Felix.

"I'm very confused, extremely confused," Freddie acknowledged, not knowing where his daughter was going with this.

Corrie gasped and sank wearily back onto the bed while Freddie stood with his back to the wall.

"It all makes sense now. Everything about you just screams it out. Your hair is always perfectly coifed and you've got highlights too." Corrie continued on hoarsely.

"What are you talking about, Corrie?" Freddie demanded quizzically.

Corrie goggled at Freddie as if her point had been very obvious from the start.

"Dude, your jeans are really…_tight_." She whispered conspiratorially.

Freddie got her meaning loud and clear while he stared down at his jeans and then back at Corrie like she was insane.

"I'm not gay!" he exploded indignantly.

"I'm in love with someone else, Corrie. I've been in love with the same girl since I was 17." Freddie clarified seriously.

"But aren't you 17 right now?" Corrie asked quizzically.

"Yes, I am 17 right now. But it already feels like such a long time since I've loved her," Freddie elaborated smoothly.

"Well, ok. Does she go to our school? Do I know her?" Corrie demanded rapidly, coming to stand in front of Freddie.

"Really well," Freddie thought miserably to himself.

"No, you don't know her, Corrie." Freddie offered quickly.

"I don't believe you. Tell me her name," Corrie commanded eagerly.

"No, Corrie, that's not a good idea," Freddie responded assuredly.

"Fine, don't tell me then," Corrie stated calmly, which threw Freddie off.

But then his eyes widened in horror when Corrie ran her fingertip along his shoulder blade while she fixed him with a steady gaze.

"But be sure to tell your girlfriend that she'd better keep a close eye on you, Lover-Boy." Corrie purred sensually.

Then to Freddie's innate terror, she growled in a low voice while pointedly grazing her nose against his. Then she had already quitted the room, leaving him standing in the exact same point where she had left him. He hadn't flinched or blinked once in a good 3 seconds.

"Oh sweet Baby Jesus," he murmured in revulsion, a desperate desire to throw up coming over him.

He began to rethink what he'd previously told Corrie. It would just be him needing intensive therapy after this particular ordeal.

* * *

Gibby and Tasha were talking together and laughing animatedly, their desserts half-way consumed. The waiter had already begun clearing away some of their plates, but they were blissfully ignorant of his presence in the vicinity at all.

"I can't believe it took you just 8 weeks to learn the entire Elvish language created by J.R.R. Tolkien!" Tasha marvelled eagerly.

"It was still really hard, believe me. But I had some free time on my hands while Nintendo was busy testing out a new video game console of theirs. Plus, those 8-step DVD instructions really helped." Gibby observed meekly.

"I had the DVD's too, but it still took me almost 3 months just to get the pronunciation of certain words right," Tasha pouted in disappointment.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You're a busy woman with lots of interests and an entire school to run. Elvish aside, you're one of the most well-read women that I've ever met," Gibby replied sincerely.

Tasha had to take her hat off to Gibby. Once he finally stopped with trying incessantly to please and impress her, she herself found that she was impressed with him in turn. Once he got over his nervousness and incessant blustering, Gibby Gibson was actually really well-read and entertaining in his conversations with her, not to mention incredibly sweet. It was like she had met two different men in the space of one night. After all of Gibby's strange antics, she really should've guessed that they might have a love for sci-fi TV shows and fantasy films in common.

"That's very sweet of you to say. I guess I didn't have as hard a time learning a new language as Captain Zorg did in episode 235 of 'Galaxy Wars'." Tasha mused pleasantly.

Gibby chuckled appreciatively at this inside joke.

"Ah yes, Captain Zorg did have a hard time learning Nuggledegook in 'Attack of the Bobo-saurs'. Lucky he had Nug Nug by his side to help him learn Nug Nug's native language," Gibby reflected pensively.

"Too true. I laughed so hard when Zorg and Nug Nug got cornered off by that group of angry Moon Ferrets. Do you remember what they said to get out of it?" Tasha asked reminiscently.

"How could I forget? 'Zeef'!" Gibby shrieked in a high-pitch squeal.

A few people in the vicinity to stare at him in confusion. But Tasha ignored and began laughing hysterically at Gibby's impression of Captain Zorg.

"What about Nug Nug? 'Gweeg, gweeg'!" she shrieked in a high-pitched register, causing Gibby to laugh uproariously.

"Classic," he agreed sincerely before fixing Tasha with an intense stare.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Tasha asked self-consciously.

"No, it's just…you're really something else, Tasha. I've never met anyone like you in my life," Gibby marvelled earnestly.

Tasha blushed under Gibby's penetrating stare. She never expected to feel remotely attracted to someone like Gibby in a million years. Yet, here she was, practically gushing over him during an impromptu date that she hadn't even planned for.

"The same goes for you. Which just leads to just one question…" she trailed off demurely.

Gibby leant even closer towards her over the table while they sat together.

"Your lair…or mine?" Tasha asked in a seductive tone while biting her bottom lip.

Gibby nearly went into cardiac arrest at the mere suggestion of what he hoped Tasha was proposing.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Gibby asked hoarsely.

Tasha smiled and nodded her head slowly. Gibby had to stop himself from jumping on the table, ripping his shirt off and doing a victory dance right then and there.

"Waiter! Cheque please!" he yelled eagerly.

* * *

Unbeknown to Gibby, the victory party at his house that Freddie had orchestrated was slowly getting wilder than the idea that Tasha Baxter wanted to do unspeakable things to him during the course of the night. People were diving into the pool on the top deck of the house with their clothes on and the two guys who had been playing with Gibby's light sabers beforehand had found the beaming rods again and begun playing with them once more. Freddie stood at the edge of the pool watching the ruckus playing out in front of him with an emotionless expression on his face.

"I'm so dead," he confirmed with resignation.

Carly, Sam and Spencer had finally arrived at Gibby's house while the party was now in full swing.

"I changed my mind. Maybe a party at Gibby's place isn't that lame after all," Sam praised while surveying their surroundings.

"Let's split up. I'm gonna go look for Matt in the house; you guys check the other parts of the house," Carly suggested while surveying the house with apprehension.

Sam and Spencer nodded and Carly began weaving her way through the crowd of high school students. Spencer made his way through the hallway where the two high school boys were playing with Gibby's prized light sabers.

"Hey, don't play with those! These aren't toys!" Spencer shrieked in a scandalised tone, snatching the light sabers away from the two boys.

The two boys stared at Spencer momentarily like he was nuts before shrugging their shoulders and going into the kitchen.

"Kids! No respect for collector's items," Spencer grumbled indignantly.

His hand accidentally found the switch, causing the rod to light up with a glowing blue light. Spencer's eyes lit up as brightly as the light saber in his hand, a manic gleam entering them.

"Why, hello there," he marvelled in awe and began playing with the light saber.

Sam smirked when she came across a couple of jocks standing guard over a large keg of beer in the kitchen.

"Hey, kid. Filler up," Sam commanded briskly while tapping the keg with the empty stirofoam cup in her hand, addressing a bulky blonde-haired senior.

The boy looked Sam up and down and scoffed openly.

"Forget it. You may be the hottest milf at the party, but this keg is strictly reserved for females below the age of 18," the guy sneered condescendingly.

"Listen, jail-bait. Get me a beer now and I'll consider not wedging your head through a partially-locked door," Sam instructed in a menacing tone.

The blonde jock dropped his sneer instantly and began hurriedly pouring Sam a cup of beer.

"That's more like it. Keep it coming, Mama don't like asking twice," Sam stated with a satisfied smirk on her face while taking long sip of the alcohol.

Carly had to step out of the way of several high school students bustling rapidly past her, not to mention a girl steam-rolling down the same path on a Segway. In spite of herself, Carly couldn't help smirking at the sight. While she considered herself to be an extremely responsible parent, she found herself occasionally missing her 'iCarly days' and all the crazy adventures that she, Sam and Freddie had experienced together in the past. This particular party reminded her of the 'Crazy Hat Party' that she had once hosted at hers and Spencer's apartment in Bushwell Plaza years ago after their very first successful web-show. She'd had so much fun that night.

She only hoped that Matt and Corrie were enjoying themselves responsibly; they were good kids that got good grades and didn't give her too much grief. The pending divorce wasn't just hard on her, it was hard on them too. They deserved a night to themselves to just let loose and have some fun.

Freddie, who had been wandering aimlessly through the throng of students, caught sight of Carly coming towards him. What she was doing here? He couldn't help smirking at how politely bewildered she looked amongst all these teenagers. It was as if she had forgotten about all the crazy times that she'd had when she was younger. She looked incredibly beautiful under the glare of the full moon overhead.

"Mrs. Benson!" Freddie called out jovially and began waving.

Carly caught sight of Felix waving to her and she smiled in relief as she walked towards him.

"Hi, Felix," she greeted politely.

"Hi, what are you doing here?" Freddie asked curiously.

"I was looking for Matt actually. He left his cellphone at home and I wanted to give it to him quickly without ruining his fun," Carly explained nervously.

"Oh, that's nice of you. Come on, I'll take you to him," Freddie instructed gently.

Then he took hold of Carly's hand in his so that she wouldn't get knocked over by the throng of teenagers milling around them. For a moment, Carly enjoyed the faint pressure of her son's friend's hand in hers as he led her upstairs.

"What's Matt doing up here?" Carly asked curiously as she and Felix climbed up a flight of stairs.

"Actually…he might be up here with a girl," Freddie explained tentatively.

Carly eyes widened in horror and Freddie quickly elaborated.

"No, nothing like that. He's talking to this cheerleader named Nicole. You see, he's had a crush on her for a while and they're finally getting to know each other." Freddie amended calmly.

"Oh, I see. Well, that's great for Matt." Carly observed genially.

"It really is. And I think you'll like her too, Mrs. Benson. She seems really nice and down-to-earth. And she seems to like Matt a lot," Freddie added winningly.

"I'm glad to hear it," Carly agreed, matching his tone while smiling at him.

* * *

Gibby didn't mind in the least that Tasha already broken several traffic rules in her bid to get to his house as quickly possible. In fact, he welcomed her haste while they continued talking animatedly together in her car.

"Gibby, how on earth did you get the newest version of _Halo_? It's not due to be released for another 6 months," Tasha noted in awe while taking a left turn at a stop-street.

"Well…let's just say that I said a few things to the people at the 'Make A Wish' foundation that I'm not exactly proud of," Gibby offered abashedly.

They were interrupted in their conversation when a SUV filled with excited teenagers almost collided into them. Tasha was forced to break sharply, causing both her and Gibby to knock their heads against the respective head rests.

"What was that?" Tasha asked in horror.

"I don't know, but I've got a very bad feeling," Gibby prophesied in an ominous tone when he saw where the SUV full of teenagers had parked.

Tasha followed his gaze and saw the teenagers all congregated outside of Gibby's house.

"Oh no," she murmured wearily as she drove into the driveway.

"I'm going to kill him," Gibby muttered assuredly while staring at an unknown teenager throwing up in a bush outside.

* * *

Tasha and Gibby entered through the front door, Gibby wearing a deep-set glare on his face while he stalked past a crowd of teenagers. Tasha gasped when a naked teenage boy ran towards her and Gibby, wearing a silver helmet on his head and covering his midriff with a metallic red shield that had been hanging on a wall in the living room just a few hours ago. The teenage boy goggled in horror at Tasha before escaping out of the front door in all his glory.

"And now I'm really going to kill him," Gibby promised malevolently, his eyes darting around the house in search of his fake son.

Gibby grabbed hold of Tasha and quickly pulled her to safety just as another teenage boy came crash-landing onto the hallway floor from the stairwell, having been made into a human bowling pin by a group of teenagers laughing hysterically on the second landing.

"That's it, everybody out!" Gibby barked angrily.

But none of the teenagers took any notice of them as they continued partying together. Tasha got all of their attention by whistling loudly.

"This party is over!" she yelled, a death glare etched on her petite face.

All of the teenagers stared at her with a mixture of horror and fear, not expecting their school principal to be amongst them at this given moment.

"Now I'm giving you all 10 seconds to leave this house right now. Or all you will be sitting in detention till you graduate from Ridgeway! Everyone out!" Tasha barked in a no-nonsense tone.

That got everyone's attention as they filed out rapidly, not daring to linger for longer than a second. Corrie and her three best friends were standing a floor above, watching the scene below with worried expressions on their faces.

"We'd better go warn Felix," Corrie announced gravely.

* * *

Carly couldn't believe how much she'd missed out on in the space of a few weeks. She suddenly felt guilty that she'd been so self-absorbed in her own problems and projects to notice this new development in her son's life. She and Felix were standing on the deck on the second floor, a few feet away from Matt and Nicole, who were standing near the wooden railing and talking together in an intimate fashion. She smiled widely when she saw Matt and Nicole lean towards each other and share a sweet and chaste kiss. It brought back memories of her own experiences when she was that age, most of them with Freddie. She tried to ignore Felix's close proximity to her as she stared at her son a few feet away.

"He looks so happy," she murmured in awe while watching Matt.

"Yeah, he does." Freddie agreed, watching his son just as happily as Carly.

"You really care about Matt, don't you?" Carly asked seriously, turning to face Felix.

"Yeah, of course I do. He's a really great guy and a great friend." Freddie declared genuinely.

"That's great. Matt needs a male role model in his life right now. He's really lucky to have a friend like you who looks out for him, Felix." Carly declared earnestly.

Something about this young boy had somehow brought her family together in a short space of time. Even Corrie had seemed happier this afternoon than Carly had seen her in a long time. And she couldn't help feeling that Felix was partly responsible for that, for all of it.

"Matt's a great kid. Both he and Corrie are," Freddie noted with pride evident in his tone.

"And you've done such a great job with them. You're a great mom," he added seriously while staring intently at Carly.

Carly tried to keep a blush from forming on her cheeks at Felix's words. For someone so young, he was so innately passionate about life and people. In spite of her better intentions, Carly found herself inadvertently drawn to his vivacity.

Corrie, Jamie, Michelle and Lalita were making their way past the pool when they caught sight of Felix standing on the second landing on the balcony.

"Look, there he is," Lalita observed with a gesture of her hand.

Corrie recognised the older woman standing next to Felix with a sudden jolt.

"Mom?" she asked quizzically.

What was she doing here?

"It's been really hard lately with the impending divorce with Freddie," Carly admitted seriously while looking at Felix.

"And it really feels like you're part of the family, Felix." She added earnestly.

"You have no idea how amazing it is to hear you say that," Freddie declared sincerely while looking into Carly's eyes.

The evening had been a bust until she had arrived. He wished he could spend all night with her and wake up beside her too.

Carly grinned slightly at Felix and turned away, a strand of her black hair blowing in the gentle breeze. The image caused Freddie to lean in desperately closer to Carly, his heart hammering loudly in his chest. Then he threw caution to the wind and pressed his lips forcefully against Carly's. Corrie and her three friends, who saw the whole thing unfolding from below, gasped in horror, Corrie's eyes the widest of them all.

Carly's eyes widened in amazement to find her son's best friend's lips on her. She pulled away from him sharply with a look of horror mingled with anger on her face. Freddie didn't see it coming when Carly drew back her hand and slapped him hard across the face, causing his neck to crane all the way around. And then she had brushed past him, walking swiftly down the stairs.

"Carly! Carly, wait!" Freddie called out, running after her.

Carly ignored him and picked up the pace. Freddie was getting desperate; he couldn't lose Carly, not after coming so close to making everything right again.

"Carly, listen to me. I'm not who you think I am. I'm not Felix, ok? It's me, it's Freddie!" he yelled out, not caring who heard.

"I'm your husband," he continued while he got in front of Carly on the stairwell to stop her from leaving.

"What's the matter with you? Are you completely insane!" Carly hissed furiously, trying to shrug out of Felix's grasp.

"No, I'm not crazy, I swear it's the truth. I'm Freddie Benson, I'm the father of your children! Carls, let me explain!" Freddie exclaimed excitably.

"Don't call me that!" Carly yelled irately, stopping Felix in his tracks and jabbing an accusing finger into his chest.

"You're a weird…man-child!" she hissed in an incensed manner.

"Stay away from Matt! Stay away from Corrie! And stay away from me!" she snapped coldly.

"Carly, don't go! Just give me two seconds and I can explain this!" Freddie begged as Carly began walking away.

Spencer and Sam had just joined the throngs and caught half of what had transpired on the stairwell. Corrie accosted Freddie just as he was about to sprint after Carly.

"You little pervert!" she stated accusingly.

And before Freddie could stop her, Corrie swung back her hand and slapped him across the cheek too. Then Sam stepped up to Freddie and punched him right in the nose.

"Ow, what the hell? What did you do that for?" Freddie exclaimed furiously.

"That was for hitting me in the head with a ball, you nub!" Sam shot back before stalking off after Carly.

Before Freddie could recover, Spencer stood in front of him.

"And to think that I gave you the last popsicle in the freezer during the blackout that one time!" he hissed in scandalised tone right before slapping Freddie across the cheek.

"And you left the toilet seat up too, you bastard!" he shrieked before running after Sam, Carly and Corrie.

Then a very stunned Freddie was left with Corrie's three best friends, who were looking at him with disapproving expressions. Without saying a word, both Michelle and Jamie slapped Freddie hard across the face too.

"Call me," Lalita urged tantalisingly before slapping him too.

Freddie stood there momentarily, feeling distinctly shocked and bruised, wondering how things had gone so horribly wrong in the space of a few minutes.

* * *

Gibby was showing the last party-goers out the front door and retrieving most of his prized collections at the same time, which had been used as play-things all night long.

"Get, out."

"Get out,"

"You too, Sparky, get out. And leave the shield at the door." Gibby repeated in a monotonous tone.

Tasha came walking stiffly towards a weary-looking Gibby and they stood looking at each other for a long while.

"Well…this isn't the inconspicuous relationship I was looking for," she began gravely.

"I'm sure you can see now why I have a rule about not dating any of my students' parents."

Gibby nodded solemnly in agreement, knowing full well what was coming. He was surprised to see that Tasha looked really miserable about the admission.

"I'm really sorry, Gibby." She whispered morosely.

And then she was gone, reversing slowly out of the driveway in her car before disappearing into the indigo night. Freddie, who had watched the entire exchange from a few feet away, came walking over to his best friend, feeling incessantly guilty about what had transpired.

"I'm so sorry, Gibby. I didn't know that things were gonna get so out of hand," Freddie apologised sincerely.

Gibby said nothing, but held out his hands towards Freddie in a gesture of solidarity.

"Really?" Freddie asked in relief.

"Dude, of course." Gibby replied graciously.

Then without warning, he swung back his hand and slapped Freddie hard on the face.

"Now I'm sorry," he replied meekly.

"I guess I deserved that," Freddie noted wryly, feeling slightly annoyed.

Then Gibby slapped him again.

"The second one was out of line and completely uncalled for. I'm sorry," Gibby declared soberly.

"That's ok, Gib." Freddie remarked stiffly while Gibby moved in to hug him.

"Are you ok, Gib? I'm really sorry about everything," he added more earnestly when he saw how miserable his best friend looked.

Then Gibby slapped him again.

"Three makes it even. Now we're square," Gibby stated firmly.

"How are you though, Freddie? You ok?" he asked gently, changing tune immediately.

"I don't know, I guess." Freddie offered unconvincingly, feeling completely worn out by the night's events.

Then Gibby slapped Freddie yet again for the fourth and final time.

"That was out of love, because I know you're lying when you say you're fine." Gibby offered sincerely.

"Seriously, stop doing that, Gibby." Freddie commanded irritably.

* * *

**Author's Note: Shoo, lots of things happened this chapter. Lots of weirdness, lots of almost-incest (lmao, sockstar!), lots of characters and lots of slapping (my favourite parts, hee hee). The 'zeef' and 'gweeg' references are from 'Drake & Josh' when Drake and Josh thought they tricked Megan into believing that aliens had landed on Earth when really she had double-pranked them the entire time. Good old Miranda Cosgrove, what's not to love? I made up the 'Galaxy Wars' references, hope you liked. And now I'm officially done writing for the week, you won't get another morsel out of me. Snapplelinz out!**


	12. The Courtroom

**Author's Note: Hell-oo, every-body! I hope you all had a great week so far. I wish I could say the same for me, it's been a pretty emotional week for tons of reasons I won't bore you with. But I'm glad that I finished this chapter in time before starting on my Christmas shopping. This chapter encompasses my favourite scene in the whole film, so I hope I did it some justice. A special shout-out to baronvonmilo and The Earl Of Sandwich for being such great Gibby supporters, there's a little something in this chapter just for you guys. Hope you all enjoy : )**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own iCarly or 17 Again. I'm gonna have to ask Santa real nicely to change that this year.**

* * *

Save for the overall serenity of the neighbourhood that particular morning, the only sound that could be heard was the slow rumbling and whirring of a small device in Gibby's house. It turned out to be a small hand-held vacuum cleaner that Gibby himself was using to clean off his luxurious hallway carpet. When the last scrap of food and Cheetos had been cleaned up, Gibby stepped back to examine his handiwork, Freddie standing alongside him with a pensive expression.

"There, all cleaned up," Gibby murmured in relief.

Then his and Freddie's eyes drifted over the rest of the hallway and the living room, which was still littered with party favours and half-eaten food from the night before. They both wore looks of resignation on their faces when they gazed at each other once again.

"Now we have to clean up the rest of the house," Gibby noted glumly.

"Uh huh," Freddie agreed, matching his friend's tone.

"I really am sorry for messing up the house and screwing up your chances with Tasha," he added sincerely while patting Gibby's back affectionately.

"It's ok, bro, these things happen. It's not like I ever had a shot with her to begin with," Gibby replied in a self-deprecating manner.

"Well, for what's it worth, if she can't see how awesome you are, then she was never worth it to begin with, Gib." Freddie offered sympathetically.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Gibby conceded wearily with a loud sigh.

"Now that I have dealt with the 'rug area', I think we should take a break. But we have made some good progress with cleaning up the house so far," he added in more of an optimistic tone.

"I've lost my family, Gib." Freddie declared morosely, taking Gibby by surprise momentarily.

As long as he had known Freddie, Gibby had never seen his best friend so down before. No matter how bad things got, Freddie had always been there, an indomitable rock in the face of the crushing force of life. But now that he had lost the one thing that mattered most to him, Gibby watched his best friend fall apart slowly. His heart broke a little while he watched Freddie collapse onto the stairwell, a crumbling heap of misery.

"For what it's worth, Freddie, I really think you did help Matt and Corrie these past few weeks. I think that counts for something," Gibby replied earnestly, placing a comforting hand on his friend's arm and patting it lightly.

"You did your job admirably as the hero of this story. And now you can move on," Gibby concluded solemnly.

"But I don't wanna move on. Maybe my kids and Carly don't need me anymore. But I need them; they're my whole world, Gibby." Freddie responded emphatically, turning to face Gibby.

"Ok, I don't mean to be a buzz-kill or anything, but you're sort of due in court in the next…22 minutes." Gibby pointed out facetiously.

Freddie was suddenly on his feet again at this pronouncement.

"I need more time, Gibby. I have to stop this," Freddie declared in a steady and determined voice.

Gibby examined his best friend's face without flinching before yelling out in turn:

"To the Gibby-Mobile!"

"Gibby, do me one more favour before we go."

"Sure, anything."

"Put on some pants!"

Gibby glanced down at his T-shirt and boxers covered by a bathrobe and sporting casual flip-flops on his feet.

"I really should have some pants on," he muttered nonsensically before dashing up the stairs.

It took the two of them another 3 minutes before they begun running to Gibby's yellow Lamborghini Gallardo, hop into it and begin speeding down the small suburban road. But before they could get much further, they reached a stop street where an obnoxious-looking traffic cop was busy allowing a group of small boys and girls to cross the intersection.

"Oh come on, Glenn!" Gibby yelled impatiently.

"The man is the epitome of a glorified midget wrangler," he muttered derisively in an aside to Freddie.

"You wouldn't be such a tough guy without that orange vest on!" Gibby called out snidely.

Glenn paid Gibby no mind, but continued staring unblinkingly back at him and Freddie while he let the small children cross the street.

"Freddie, I've got an idea. Grab that thing that's down there by your feet. Grab it and hold it up," Gibby commanded rapidly.

Freddie frowned before acquiescing and grabbing the object located near his feet on the car mat. He picked up a red police siren more aptly known as a 'cherry' with an array of questions formulating in his mind.

"Where did you get this?" he demanded suspiciously.

"Not important. What I will tell you though is that it was the best 20 bucks I've ever spent. It saves me like a half hour on my commute." Gibby explained proudly.

"Just hold it up real high," he added quickly.

Freddie did as he was told just as Glenn lowered the 'stop' sign in his hand and allowed them to pass. And then they were speeding along the busy freeway, burning up rubber and killing time as they hurried onwards to their destination.

* * *

"Do you swear to tell the truth? The whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" the bailiff asked in a droning voice.

"I do," Carly replied swiftly without hesitation.

The courtroom was filled with a few spectators who had come to watch the day's proceedings. While Carly's lawyer stood beside her and pledged an oath, Sam and Spencer sat in the row directly behind them, dressed appropriately for the occasion and wearing grim expressions. Then the judge began with the proceedings by reading over Carly's plea.

"According to this document, you are requesting a divorce by the State of Washington citing irreconcilable differences. Is that correct?" the judge questioned slowly behind thick-rimmed spectacles.

"That's correct, your Honour." Carly answered succinctly.

"And is Freddie Benson present for the proceedings?" the judge asked hurriedly.

"No, your Honour." Freddie's lawyer replied swiftly, rising out of his chair slightly while he spoke.

"Then I take his absence as acquiescence to the orders of the divorce. Let's proceed." the judge remarked unswervingly, laying the paper in her hand aside.

At just that moment, Gibby brought his car to an abrupt stop just outside the court house. Then he and Freddie leapt out of the car and began sprinting up the marble steps.

"You are not requesting sole custody of your two children, Mrs. Benson?" the judge asked slowly of Carly.

"No, your Honour." Carly answered slowly, back in her seat beside her lawyer once more.

Just then, the wooden doors of the courtroom opened wide as if someone had just kicked them down.

"You can't handle the truth!" Gibby shouted manically, striding through the courtroom in a dapper pin-striped suit.

He was followed by Freddie, who was wearing a long-sleeved blue sweater with a white vest underneath, black jeans and white sneakers, wearing an expression filled with nervous tension.

"What?" the judge asked in a ringing tone tinged with confusion.

"Oh sweet ham, what is this nub doing now?" Sam asked in a low whisper.

"I'm sorry, I panicked. It was the first thing that popped into my head…your Majesty." Gibby concluded with a courteous bow.

"Who are you?" the judge demanded loudly.

"That's Gibby," Spencer offered in a tone of surprise while pointing at the man in question.

"And who exactly is 'Gibby'?" the judge asked wearily.

"That's my husband's best friend, your Honour." Carly answered coherently.

"Are you a lawyer, 'best friend'?" the judge questioned sardonically.

"Yes I am, your Honour." Gibby replied quickly.

Spencer let out a snort of laughter at this.

"Yeah, right. I've been at law school longer than Gibby has ever practised law in his life. And I lasted three days," he scoffed lightly.

"No he's not a lawyer, your Honour! Gibby, what are you doing?" Carly hissed furiously through gritted teeth.

"I am a lawyer, and I believe that the law degree in my pocket says so," Gibby interjected calmly, retrieving a folded piece of paper from his breast pocket.

He handed this to the bailiff standing in front of him, who stared at the contents with a dubious expression on his face.

"Um, you might notice that it's a little bit smudged. That because I sat on it in my car on the way here and not because I just…printed it out recently," Gibby explained abashedly.

The bailiff handed the slip of paper to the judge, who skimmed through the contents with a critical eye. Then she dropped it on her table and examined Gibby with a furrowed brow.

"Alright, let's pretend that's real. You wanna explain to me what you're doing in my courtroom, Mr. Gibson?" the judge asked severely of Gibby.

"We are here to prevent a gross…GROSS…miscarriage of justice!" Gibby exclaimed dramatically while gesturing to Freddie before thumping his fist on a wooden table in front of him.

But then two bailiffs cut off the rest of Gibby's impassioned speech and took hold of both him and Freddie, lifting them up and preparing to toss them out of the courtroom.

"Oh, this just got way more interesting than I originally thought," Sam noted with a satisfied smirk on her face.

"Wait! I can explain all of this! If you just give me a minute, I can explain this better, your Honour," Freddie pleaded while trying to shrug off the bailiff who was grappling with him.

"Son, you need to leave my courtroom right now," the judge declared in a no-nonsense manner.

"Please just hold on a moment, your Honour! I've got…I've got a letter! From Freddie Benson! He's the husband in this case!" Freddie tried once more, flashing a slip of paper that he had taken out of his jeans pocket.

That got Carly's attention as she turned around in her chair to stare at her son's best friend.

"Son, I'm not gonna ask you twice," the judge stated in warning tone.

"Your Honour! Would it be possible for me to hear what the letter says?" Carly asked meekly of the judge while rising to her feet slowly.

The judge stared at Carly like she was nuts for a moment before rolling her eyes and relenting.

"Alright. Son, go ahead." The judge conceded with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Thank you, Your Honour. This is a letter addressed to Carly Benson from Freddie Benson and he wanted me to read it out loud," Freddie murmured meekly.

He glanced momentarily at Carly as she took her seat again before staring hard at the paper in front of him. Then he cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Carly…" Freddie began slowly, drawing out the syllables of her name with a loving caress.

"Before you go through with this, I want to remind you about a day that's forever seared into my mind, a day that I'll never forget. I was 12 years old and I had just returned to Bushwell Plaza after running an errand for my mom when I accidentally stepped onto Lewbert's newly mopped floor. Naturally, he chased me all the way into the elevator and I just managed to get away from him. And then I got up to the 8th floor, completely out of breath when I tripped over a cardboard box that was laid out in the floor just outside my apartment door. The box was filled with gummy worms, which I thought was pretty weird at the time. But then I forgot just how weird it was when the most beautiful girl in the world stepped out of the elevator, carrying another cardboard box in her hand, followed by her zany older brother."

Carly remembered the day down to a tee. Her father had just been recalled back to the navy a few months prior and she and Spencer were gradually picking up the pieces of their fragmented family after their mother's untimely death. It was strange to be moving to a new place and starting over, feeling like the world would never turn itself right side up again, that the past would somehow never be resolved. That's what she had been thinking when she had collided with that tiny shrimp of a boy who goggled unabashedly back at her, like he was perched atop the proverbial stairway to heaven staring at the Holy Trinity.

"You and Spencer had just moved into Bushwell Plaza that day and you were carrying the boxes in. I remember it so clearly, like it happened yesterday. You were wearing this short-sleeved pink "Cuttlefish" t-shirt with a long-sleeved purple undershirt, blue skinny jeans and your favourite pear of Ice Cream sneakers. I'd never seen anything so perfect in my entire life. You looked so beautiful right then and there that I felt like I couldn't breathe for several minutes. The only thing I could think of, the only thing that made sense in my head in that moment, was that I had to have you…or I'd die. I wanted to be the guy that put that amazing smile of yours on your face…the man that made you happy and took care of you…always." Freddie went on in a determined voice, gaining momentum as he spoke.

Carly hadn't taken Freddie seriously on that day, or any other day long after that. He'd always been so sure of his feelings for her, how could he have possibly known or expected that kind of longevity on such flighty passions? Most days, Carly hadn't been sure that she even liked the colour of the nail polish on her fingers, much less saving room for all that emotion reserved for just one person. But Freddie had proved her wrong; he'd somehow found a way to keep Carly's attention just enough long for her to fall in love with him somewhere along the lines.

_Remember when we scratched our names into the sand_

_And you told me you loved me?_

Carly was staring at Felix the whole time without blinking like she was seeing him for the first time. In fact, the entire courtroom was oddly hushed while Freddie spoke, entranced by the intensity and sincerity of the words that he read aloud. One man in particular who was situated near the back of the courtroom, sat up straight in his chair and craned his neck, ignoring all thoughts of napping during the proceedings now.

"And then there was that time when Ridgeway hosted the Sadie Hawkins dance and you took that idiot, Austin, to the dance and I took Magical Malika and we ended up at the Groovy Smoothie afterwards. I shared the most incredible dance I've ever had with the girl of my dreams and I never wanted it to end. And when you held me close and rested your head on my shoulder, I felt so…peaceful…and safe. Because I knew that no matter what happened after that day, nothing could ever be that bad…because I had you in my life. And I realised then and there that even if you never returned my feelings, you would always be the most incredible person that I've ever known and loved, Carly Shay."

_But now that I find_

_That you've changed your mind_

_I'm lost for words_

Carly remembered that night all too well. It had been infuriating from beginning to end, save for one unforeseen juncture in the entire chapter: Freddie Benson asking her to dance in the Groovy Smoothie as it approached closing time. She still remembered the song playing in the background as they swayed together. But more than that, she remembered Freddie and the feel of him all around her: cradling her back while she rested her head on his broad shoulder. He had taken her by surprise in more ways than one that night; she'd felt just as safe with him too.

"But then I grew up and I lost my way," Freddie continued, bitter tears slipping down from his eyes and onto his cheeks.

_I never meant the things I said_

_To make you cry_

_Can I say I'm sorry?_

"And I blamed you for all my failures. I know that you think you have to do this today. But I don't want you to, Carly." Freddie stated morosely.

_It's hard to forget_

_And yes I regret_

_All these mistakes_

Then Freddie took a deep breath before mentally preparing himself for the hardest part of the day.

"But I guess…if I love you…I should let you move on." Freddie breathed, his eyes locked on Carly at this last juncture in his speech.

_I don't know why you're leaving me_

_But I know you must have your reasons_

_There's tears in your eyes_

_I watch as you cry_

_But it's getting late_

Carly stared back at Felix, unaware that unshed tears were forming in her brown eyes while she remained completely at a loss for words. What had happened to her and Freddie over time? Maybe he had been selfish, possibly even cruel in his flagrant neglect of her every need and want. But she was just as much to blame for their failed marriage. While Freddie's indifference was most likely accidental, Carly's had been more calculating and exacting when she had struck the final blow in telling him that she wanted a divorce.

Their eye contact was broken at the sound of the judge's voice interjecting through the hazy silence.

"Alright, Son. You need to go now," she murmured in as patient as a voice as she could muster.

Freddie looked up at the judge momentarily before murmuring his thanks and tossing the page in his hand aside onto a stack of cardboard boxes to his right. And then he slowly began walking away. He only looked back once to stare at Carly, who was watching his departure with that same expression of shock and surprise etched on her face throughout his speech. And then Gibby was walking calmly alongside him with his head bowed as they exited through the wide wooden doors. Spencer's eyes were locked on the two departing figures, as if part of a puzzle had been solved in his mind; Sam on the other hand, only had eyes for Carly, her blue eyes reflecting her bewilderment and worry.

_Was I invading in on your secrets?_

_Was I too close for comfort?_

_You're pushing me out_

_When I wanted in_

"Let's proceed," the judge began in a professional manner while adjusting the glasses over her eyes.

Carly turned to face the judge, an unfathomable expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, your Honour. Would it be ok if we postpone this for now? For just a little while? Would that be ok?" Carly asked seriously.

Both Spencer and Sam turned to stare at Carly in amazement. After their mutual attempts to get Carly to pause and reconsider filing for divorce and her blatant refusal to be dissuaded each time, neither of them had expected this simple digression.

_Won't you think about what you're about to do to me_

_And back down..._

Feeling distinctly exhausted at this point, the judge rolled her eyes at Carly's request.

"Postponed for 30 days. Next case," she barked rapidly while bringing her wooden mallet down sharply onto the podium where she sat.

As soon as the case was concluded, Carly jumped out of her seat and ran towards the stack of cardboard boxes, anxious to see what Freddie had written for her in his letter. She picked up the piece of yellow paper and frowned at the contents. All that could be seen written in ink along the page were a host of directions on how to get to the courthouse. Where was the letter that Felix had just read out aloud?

_And everything I feel for you_

_I wrote down on one piece of paper_

_The one in your hand_

_You won't understand_

_How much it hurts to let you go_

Carly glanced sharply at the wooden door which Gibby and Felix had just stepped through seconds ago. She couldn't make any sense out of any of this. If Felix hadn't read anything out, why had he looked like he was on the verge of breaking down throughout his speech? It was almost as if he knew exactly what Freddie was trying to convey to her.

As if his and Freddie's words were exactly the same.

_What was I just about to discover?_

_When I got too close for comfort_

_Driving you home_

_I guess I'll never know..._

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**Musical References:**

**1) "Too Close For Comfort" by McFly **

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**Author's Note: Et voila, I hope this chapter was ok. I hope some of you "17 Again" fans reading this story weren't too disappointed by me changing some details in the overall courtroom scene with 'Freddie's letter', I wanted to give it an overt Creddie quality. And for anyone expecting me to quote Cat Powers lyrcis in this chapter, don't despair. I'm still going to put that song into the story, most likely for the next chapter because I love that song in the original courtroom scene. But I decided to go with a little 'McFly' instead because the lyrics just fit the scene so well - thank you, 'Just My Luck' ; ) Alright, enough rambling. I'm off to watch "The Real Hustle" on BBC in a little while before my laptop battery dies. Cheerio, everyone!**


	13. The Realisation

**Author's Note: Helloo, everybody! I hope you're all having a great week and making steady plans for the approaching holiday season. My week's only been marginally better than last week, but also a lot worse than I imagined it would be. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this new chapter. **

**This chapter is dedicated to ramzasaur, who passed away tragically two days ago. She was a member of FF and creddiefans and an amazing writer. She will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved her. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly or 17 Again. I'll roll the dice again on another day.  
**

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It was nearing evening time, the sun disappearing behind a wispy grey cloud, shrouded with swirls of pink and orange, meshing untidily with the blackness of the approaching night. It had been two days since Gibby and Freddie had tried to interrupt the proceedings of his and Carly's pending divorce with little to no success. Since then, Freddie had spent as little time indoors as he could manage. And true to his intentions, he was currently located in the doorway, aiming as many shots at the basketball hoop as he could muster.

_Once I wanted to be the greatest_

_No wind or waterfall could stall me_

Gibby exited through the door to the patio one floor above and moved towards the railing, where he watched Freddie's progress for a few minutes, unbeknown to the former. Freddie was dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans, a black short-sleeved shirt and white undershirt underneath with his trusty white sneakers on his feet as he continued dribbling the ball. He was barely breaking into a sweat as he circled the perimeter of the hoop, twisting and turning his body with graceful loops before allowing the orange basketball to leave his hand with a casual flick of his wrist.

_And then came the rush of the flood_

_The stars at night turned deep to dust_

The ball flew into the air effortlessly each time, sailing almost pathetically through the net with a lethargic swish. And that's exactly what Freddie wanted: a decisive pattern. One that wouldn't allow him to think about anything outside of its resolute borders.

_Melt me down_

_Into big black armour_

"Wow," Gibby declared aloud, breaking suddenly into Freddie's deep reverie.

"I haven't seen you practise this hard since high school," he mused pensively while watching Freddie's movements.

Freddie came to a stand-still and wiped moisture off of his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Yeah, well. If I wanna impress those college scouts, then I need to stay focused," Freddie answered frankly, hunching over slightly to make another calculated shot.

_Leave no trace_

_Of grace_

_Just in your honor_

Gibby furrowed his eyebrow in confusion at this pronouncement.

"Wait, you're not still trying to get a scholarship, are you? You should be careful, Freddie. You don't wanna get off the spirit path." Gibby replied cautiously.

Something in Freddie snapped when he heard this, causing him to throw the ball viciously against the garage door, creating a loud reverberating sound.

_Once I wanted to be the greatest_

_Two fists of solid rock_

"There's no path, Gibby! There's no path!" Freddie yelled angrily, stunning his best friend momentarily.

_With brains that could explain_

_Any feeling_

"I can't do it," he whispered dejectedly while hugging his arms tightly wrapped across his chest.

"I was never supposed to help Corrie, Matt and Carly. I just made things worse for them. My kids are better off without me! My wife is better off without me! Everyone is better off with me out of the picture, Gibby."

_Lower me down_

_Pin me in_

_Secure the grounds_

"It's time to move on," Freddie concluded resolutely, having controlled his emotions somewhat.

_For the lead_

_And the dregs in my bed_

_I've been sleeping_

_For the later parade_

Before Gibby could offer any words of encouragement, both he and Freddie glanced up at a sudden bright light coming towards them. Filled with curiosity, Freddie dropped his ball off to the side while Gibby made his way downstairs. The light in question belonged to the blinkers on a car as it crawled up slowly towards Gibby's driveway. When the engine finally died, both Freddie and Gibby were surprised when Spencer exited out of the car and shut the door behind him with a loud bang.

Spencer looked like he hadn't slept in days. Under the glare of the lights outside the house and the street lamp behind him, his eyes were bloodshot, his long brown hair dishevelled, his clothes crinkly and rumpled, the tan of a faint stubble line forming on his chin.

"Spencer?" Freddie and Gibby chorused in unison.

"Hey, guys. I hope I'm not interrupting," Spencer greeted with a nervous smile on his face.

"No, it's cool. What are you doing here?" Gibby asked curiously, worry tainting every syllable of his words.

"Actually, I'm looking for Freddie. Is he back from his trip yet?" Spencer inquired abruptly.

Both Gibby and Freddie shared a quick look with each other before gazing back at Spencer. What was going on? Why was Spencer looking for his soon-to-be brother-in-law?

"No, he isn't. He won't be back for a couple of weeks from what he last told me. Why do you ask? Is everything ok?" Gibby asked cautiously.

"Um, I'm not sure exactly. I'm sorry to drop by like this unexpectedly, it's just that I was hoping to talk to him in…_person_." Spencer explained, putting particular stress on the last word in his sentence.

Freddie was beginning to like this conversation even less as Spencer turned to stare at him momentarily, a furtively contemplative expression crossing the older man's features.

"You know what? I'll just give you two some privacy and head inside," Freddie announced swiftly, grabbing his basketball off of the concrete driveway and preparing to go back into the house to leave the two adults alone.

"Hold up a second, _Felix. _I'd like you to stick around for a moment. There's something I wanna ask you," Spencer interjected hurriedly, a strange amount of firmness evident in his tone.

Gibby said nothing in response, but watched as Freddie moved hurriedly to stand in front of Spencer once more, albeit unwillingly.

"Gibby, could you give us a moment alone?" Spencer asked quietly.

"Just to talk," he added gently when it looked like Gibby might have some objections.

Gibby glanced between the two men for a moment before relenting.

"I'll be inside if anyone needs me," he concluded slowly before heading indoors, leaving Spencer and Freddie to stare wordlessly at each other.

Freddie began rocking slightly on the balls of his feet while he waited for Spencer to break the awkward silence.

"So…what did you wanna ask me?" Freddie questioned softly, stealing a furtive glance at his brother-in-law.

"Well, what I wanted to ask you was…so Freddie's really out of town?" Spencer demanded rapidly, changing tact midway.

"Uh, yeah, he is. That's what my Dad tells me anyway." Freddie offered as coherently as possible, wondering where Spencer was going with this.

Spencer nodded at this before proceeding.

"So you haven't met Freddie at all since you first came to live with Gibby?" he pressed slowly.

"I've met him once or twice…in passing between different business trips. He seems like an alright guy to me." Freddie answered as stoically as possible.

"Yeah, he's the best. At least, he used to be." Spencer mused nostalgically.

"I mean, he sure has a great way with words…especially for those things he wrote down in that letter he left to Carly. You know, the one you read out in the courthouse two days ago." Spencer went on in a determined voice.

Freddie's palms were beginning to sweat insurmountably now. How long could he keep his poker face intact before he finally cracked under the strain?

"I know that Freddie's messed up a lot over time with Carly and with Corrie and Matt. But I know that he cares about the three of them deep down. And you really gave his declaration of love a lot more feeling too," Spencer continued.

He began circling cautiously around Freddie, catching the looks of nervousness that the young boy shot at him.

"Well you know. I've always been a fan of acting out…monologues." Freddie offered feebly, feeling a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead as he spoke.

Spencer nodded again, as if he didn't really believe what he was hearing, which unnerved Freddie even more the longer the seconds ticked away.

"But that's just it, isn't it? You weren't acting the whole thing out, Felix. Carly showed me 'the letter', it was just a page with some directions to get to the courthouse scribbled on them. How could you remember Freddie's entire monologue?" Spencer questioned seriously.

"I have…photographic memory." Freddie offered with a weak smile.

"Maybe you do. But then I thought of something else. It just doesn't make any sense to me that Freddie wouldn't make it to the court proceedings if he really didn't want Carly to divorce him. The Freddie I know wouldn't have missed an opportunity like that to tell my sister that he still loves her. There's no business trip that would've kept him away." Spencer declared frankly.

"But he still sent you and Gibby to the court house instead of coming himself. I started asking myself whether he really was out of town like you said. And then you 'read' out that letter to Carly in the courtroom and that got me thinking too…"

It seemed like Spencer no longer cared that Felix was present, his chaotic thoughts taking on a mind of its own as he continued pacing along the driveway.

"It was the way you said the words, like you really understood what Freddie was trying to express. And I saw the way you looked when you left that courtroom, like you'd just had your heart ripped right out of you. And I kept thinking, 'He's just a kid. How can he already know what it's like to experience that kind of gut-wrenching heartache?'."

"And then the answer hit me when I was lying awake in my bed two nights ago."

Freddie desperately wanted to stop Spencer from figuring everything out right then and there. But even he was far too engrossed in hearing out the rest of Spencer's absurd conspiracy theory.

"What if you weren't who you said you were? What if you're not Felix Gibson, the illegitimate son of Gibby Gibson? I'm not saying that Gibby couldn't have a kid somewhere out there in the world; I mean, it's still Gibby we're talking about. But you seemed to just arrive out of nowhere, at exactly the same time that Freddie first left town."

"There were other things about your personality too that I've noticed over the past two months. There was this air of familiarity about you, like I'd known you for half of my life. And then there was also the way you interacted with Matt and Corrie. With Matt, you were always paternal and engaging; you were paternal with Corrie too, but in a way that was almost…disapproving, especially when you saw her hanging out with Reed. But mostly, it was the way that you looked at Carly. It was almost…wistful at times." Spencer concluded earnestly, his eyes locked on Freddie now.

Freddie could feel his heart thumping wildly in his chest now.

"Then I realised that it was almost midnight and all that thinking made me really hungry. So I got a snack, went to my room and started reading through some of my comic books to help me sleep. And that's when I found comic book 347 of 'The Time Traveller' series. That one's entitled 'The Spirit Guide'." Spencer stated dramatically.

Of course, Freddie knew exactly which comic book Spencer was referring to. It had been one of the issues that Gibby had shown him when his 'transformation' had first occurred. His heart was pounding so loudly, he was sure that Spencer could hear it.

"I don't know if you've read it before, but the protagonist gets into a collision in his space cruiser and ends up in a coma. And when he wakes up, he realises that he's been transformed from a middle-aged man into a young boy. The only way he can change back to his former self is to undergo a series of tests to help him build character and reform. And he is aided in this respect by a mentor…or a spirit guide." Spencer continued on in a cryptic tone, circling closer and closer around Freddie till they were just inches apart.

And then they were finally eyeball to eyeball, neither one of them making a sound for a few minutes.

"So my question is: are you who you say you are? Are you Felix Gibson?" Spencer asked softly.

"No, I'm not." Freddie finally relented, trying his hardest not to blink.

"Then who are you?" Spencer pressed seriously.

"My name…is Fredward Benson."

After making this grave pronouncement, Freddie was intensely surprised when Spencer began whooping loudly and doing a series of erratic movements, waving his arms around and flailing his legs about on the spot.

"Spencer? What are you doing?" Freddie demanded quizzically.

"I'm doing a victory jig because I was right!" Spencer exclaimed triumphantly while continuing his ridiculous dance.

Then he came to stand in front of Freddie once more and clapped the young man's head in his calloused hands.

"It really is you, isn't it?" he whispered rapidly, his eyes locked on Freddie's.

"Yeah, it's me, Spence." Freddie offered weakly.

Spencer emitted a high-pitched shriek and clapped Freddie's cheeks hard with his hand, almost sending the younger man toppling backwards in shock.

"I can't believe this! This is incredible! I mean…you look exactly the same as you did 17 years ago when you and Carly started dating! How did this even happen?" Spencer questioned eagerly, coming to stand in front of Freddie again.

"You remember that really bad storm that hit the city two months ago?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, I was driving back to Gibby's after I dropped Matt and Corrie off at home and Carly and I got into a fight about the divorce. The weather was really bad; I could barely see two feet in front of me even with the wipers going. Something funny happened to the radio and it lost frequency for a few minutes. Then I got to the bridge and I saw this old man standing on the edge, getting ready to jump. So I stopped the car, got out and wanted to run towards the railing to try and get him to come back down. I recognised him from earlier that day; he'd been at Ridgeway and I thought he was the janitor. He said some pretty weird things to me about having a 'do-over' in my life, I wasn't really paying attention at the time."

"But back to the bridge. I was standing across the bridge at my car and he was on the other side, smiling back at me. Then a bus drove past both of us and blocked my sight. When I looked back again, the old man was gone. I panicked, thinking he'd jumped, so I ran towards the railing to go and check. I couldn't see anything below me except the swirling of the rapids beneath the bridge. And then I saw my own face, my teenage face from a lifetime ago, swirling around in the water. It was like I was looking in a mirror. I must've leant too far over the bridge; next thing I knew, I was falling into the water and I went underneath the waves. I managed to get my bearings and swim back to shore before I collapsed into unconsciousness. When I woke up a few hours later, the sun had already risen and I decided to just go back to Gibby's and report the incident about the old man. But when I got out of the shower and looked in the mirror, that's when I noticed 'the change' I went through. I've been like this ever since." Freddie explained solemnly.

"This is unbelievable, Freddie. I mean, you get to be a teenager all over again. If I were ever reincarnated, I'd wanna turn into a bird." Spencer declared eagerly.

"Why?" Freddie asked in confusion.

"I'd be able to fly." Spencer answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Right." Freddie mumbled while rolling his eyes at the sky.

"I'm glad you didn't really disappear, Freddie. But I get why you had to keep your distance these past few weeks, sort of." Spencer offered graciously.

"Thanks, Spencer. But I still don't get it. How did you figure all of this out? Did you know the whole time? I thought I was so careful." Freddie lamented anxiously.

"Don't worry, you were. I wouldn't have thought about anything if not for your 'letter' in the courtroom. I've spent my time researching 'reincarnation' and 'transformations' on the internet and watching 'Galaxy Wars'. I've barely gotten any sleep for the past 48 hours." Spencer explained tentatively.

"You were watching 'Galaxy Wars' for two days?" Freddie asked quizzically.

"Yeah. Episode 541 to be precise."

"The one where Cadet Thompson gets turned into an old woman as part of her punishment for trying to overthrow the Nugullian Empire?"

"Exactly."

"Well, I finally get why you resemble Russell Brand now," Freddie noted lightly, his eyes sweeping over Spencer's dishevelled appearance.

"Oh, yeah. I sorta forgot to shave for two days." Spencer replied sheepishly.

"Yeah, I figured. Still, it's better than when you became obsessed with beating Sasha Striker's high score for Pack Rat." Freddie teased jovially.

"Yeah, tell me about it. I still wished I'd called her after I finished my Labradoodle sculpture though." Spencer mused wistfully, causing Freddie to laugh loudly at the memory.

"It's great being able to reminisce about all of the good times. This whole thing is really amazing. When Carly and the kids find out about this-"

"They can't find out about this, Spencer." Freddie interjected abruptly, his face taken on a decidedly fierce expression.

Spencer was taken aback by Freddie's sudden ferocity.

"What do you mean? You're not gonna tell them about any of this?" Spencer demanded incredulously.

"No." Freddie responded simply.

"Ok, but how else are you gonna convince them that you're not a bad guy, that you still care about them? You are gonna fight for them, right?" Spencer asked weakly.

"I want to, Spencer, you have to believe me when I say that. But I'm afraid it's too late." Freddie answered woefully.

"No, it's not. Freddie, it's never too late to fight for the people you love, you have to trust me on that." Spencer pronounced vehemently, his hands going to Freddie's shoulders and gripping them tightly, as if he wanted to shake some sense into the young boy.

"Freddie, they deserve to know the truth," he added more seriously.

"No, Spencer. What they deserve is a chance to get on with their lives, without me in it." Freddie returned forcefully.

"You don't mean that. You can't possibly mean that," Spencer stated hollowly.

"I do mean it. I've thought long and hard about this, and I really feel like it's for the best, for everyone." Freddie declared hoarsely.

"But you love Corrie and Matt, they're your whole world. And you can't honestly stand there and tell me that anyone else will love my sister as much as you do. You'd be lying if you did." Spencer reasoned heatedly, particularly on the last part.

"I do love Carly with all my heart, Spencer. And I love my kids. But they're better off without me. I can't give them what they need while I'm still…_like this_." Freddie responded with a woeful glance down at his teenage body.

"I don't know how long I'm gonna be stuck in this body. And it's not fair to them to give them half of what should have, which is a stable family environment." He reasoned swiftly.

"Why don't you let them decide for themselves about what they want? You owe them that much after everything." Spencer spat vehemently.

"I can't, Spencer. I'm sorry. As soon as I graduate from Ridgeway in two months, I'm gonna go as far away from here as I can manage. Spencer, you have to promise not to say anything to Carly or the kids about any of this."

"Freddie, I don't know if I can-"

"Spencer! Promise me!"

Spencer's shoulders sagged and he bowed his head in defeat.

"Alright. I promise I won't say anything," he conceded reluctantly.

"Thank you. This means a lot," Freddie murmured earnestly.

"Take care of my family for me while I'm gone, Spence. You're the only one I trust to do it," he added seriously, locking eyes with his brother-in-law as the latter made to walk back to his car.

"I will." Spencer replied without blinking.

"Just so you know, I'm only keeping your first promise till a certain eventuality happens." He added slowly, turning back to face Freddie once more.

"And what eventuality is that?" Freddie asked curiously.

"When you turn back to your old self. Then you can fill in the blanks yourself for Carly, Matt and Corrie." Spencer responded evenly.

"That day might never come, Spencer."

"I'm a firm believer in miracles. There's a spirit guide watching out for all of us up there."

With a small smile aimed at Freddie, Spencer finally took his leave of Gibby's house and got back into his car. Then with a quick turn of the key in the ignition, Spencer's engine roared to life and he was backing slowly out of the pristine driveway. And then he was driving back down the lonely road, leaving Freddie standing exactly where he left him.

Freddie emitted a loud sigh and hung his head. He knew that the end was almost in sight, but there was still so much left to do before he finally quit this place. And then it would all be in front of him: an endless road of possibilities, ones he certainly hadn't made provision for in these past two months.

But first, he had to tie up some loose ends.

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**Musical References:**

**1) "The Greatest" by Cat Powers**

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**Author's Note: As promised, I quoted some Cat Powers for good measure in this chapter : ) I wanted to put in another song, but couldn't think of anything good to use; if I think of anything later, I'll add it then. For anyone who's watched "17 Again", you'll notice that Spencer's appearance in the chapter is a fabrication. I want to be able to incorporate more characters into this story to give my film adaptation a richer interpretation. There'll be plenty more of that next chapter and in the future chapters. The parts mentioning "The Time Traveller" and that episode of "Galaxy Wars" are also fabrications too. I hope you all have a great weekend, take care of yourselves : )  
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	14. The Amendments

**Author's Note: Hey, everybody! Just a week to go till Christmas, I hope you're all pumped : ) I saw the new Nick Christmas bumper on TV the other day with all the Nick stars which put me in the best mood I've been in all week. But enough about my holiday woes, I've got a killer chapter for you. And yes, sockstar, you will have to go camping for this one ; ) I hope you all like this one.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly or 17 Again, only my creative whims.  
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Carly strolled through the patio door of her home, shaking her tousled black hair out of her face, which was covered with small beads of perspiration. She had been watering the plants and removing some unwanted weeds from the newly refurbished backyard. Her skin and clothing were caked in a thin layer of dirt and sweat and her hair was a mess. All she wanted to do right now was indulge in a long hot shower before sinking into her mattress and taking a much deserved nap.

Just as she entered the kitchen and removed her garden gloves, a sudden intake of breath alerted her to the fact that she wasn't alone in the house like she initially thought. She whipped around sharply and came face to face with none other than Felix Gibson leaning leisurely against the refrigerator, his signature smirk on his face.

"You scared me!" Carly exclaimed reproachfully.

"Sorry." Felix offered, sounding like he didn't mean it in the least.

"Felix, what are you doing here?" Carly demanded impatiently when she finally got her breath back.

"Looking for you," he replied nonchalantly.

"You shouldn't be here right now. I made my feelings very clear the other night when I told you to stay away from my kids and from me." Carly declared coldly.

Felix shrugged and moved away from the refrigerator door till he came to stand in front of Carly, his hands at his sides.

"You did. I just didn't believe you," he murmured confidently.

Carly was finding it difficult to concentrate with him standing so close to her, his cool breath fanning her cheeks and nose. He smelt so good, it was practically making her mouth water with desire.

"Felix, you need to go," Carly whispered through gritted teeth, trying her best to calm her rapidly beating heart.

"Why? Do I make you uncomfortable, Mrs. Benson?" Felix questioned seriously, tilting his head ever so slightly so that his forehead was almost touching Carly's.

"Yes," Carly admitted hoarsely.

"Do I make you uncomfortable…_the good way_?" Felix asked softly, a sly grin etched onto his face.

"No." Carly answered in as firm a voice as she could muster.

"Are you sure about that?" Felix questioned serenely, his fingertips moving idly through Carly's black tresses as he spoke.

"Y-yes." Carly replied hollowly, her breath catching in her throat while she made to move Felix's hand out of her hair.

"Now I definitely don't believe you," Felix whispered demurely, his lips a millimetre away from Carly's.

"Felix…" Carly whispered painstakingly, closing her eyes momentarily to give herself time to think.

"What is it, Carls?" Felix asked gently.

Carly opened up her eyes sharply and locked on Felix's hazel-brown orbs, staring lovingly back at her. They were the exact same shade as Freddie's eye colour. She gasped softly when his hands moved towards her cheeks to caress them gently.

"Tell me what you want me to do," he commanded patiently.

His fingertips were leaving a scorching trail of fire across her skin, causing her intake of breath to come out in shallow and unstable spurts, unlike what she initially planned. She had planned on saying something, anything to distract her long enough from the storm currently raging in her chest. But the words she needed and loathed to say most just wouldn't come.

"Stay," she mumbled drowsily, gazing deep into his eyes for the first time since his arrival.

That's when she felt her back hit the back of the kitchen counter and Felix's lips moving feverishly against hers, his hands moving around her waist to steady her. Her hands automatically moved towards the nape of his neck and towards the collar of his shirt, as if they had a mind of their own, pulling him infinitely closer till there was no more room between them as they kissed passionately. Then Felix's lips began worshipping Carly's neck and collarbone, causing her breath to come out like torrents of water crashing through an aqueduct. It was all too much – this intense feeling of falling accompanied by a bizarre feeling of drowning at the same time.

Before Carly could register this strange dichotomy of her varying emotions, Felix had scooped her up effortlessly into his arms, as if she didn't weigh a thing, as he carried her into the master bedroom. And then Carly's back hit the duvet on her bed soundlessly, Felix's body covering hers, hovering ever so slightly so as not to crush her beneath him. And Carly found that it was she who was most impatient of the two, pulling at the scruff of his shirt so that their lips were reunited once more. She groaned in ecstasy when Felix nipped sensually at her bottom lip, trapping that little bit of her skin between his teeth with sudden ferocity that made her want to whimper with pleasure if she weren't already otherwise occupied. With surprising agility, Carly changed their positions so that she was on top, straddling Felix's hips and kissing him furiously, weaving her fingers through the strands of his heavenly hair. The faint pressure of his hands on her waist caused Carly to break their kiss mid-way and begin moaning his name sharply.

"Felix…" she whispered huskily, her eyes shut tightly as she drank in his angelic scent.

"Freddie…" she gasped out when she felt his lips on the bottom of her chin.

And before Carly could stop him, Felix had shifted their weight once more to put himself back on top. The abrupt action caused them both to lost their balance and tumble over the edge of the bed.

But Carly was the only one who actually made it to the ground. Groaning softly and massaging the side of her head that had met the wooden tiles, Carly sat upright with her legs crossed and glanced in confusion around her bedroom.

Where had Felix gone?

And that's when the truth hit her with crestfallen foolhardiness.

It had all been a dream. Felix wasn't here, he hadn't set foot in her house since she had ordered him away from her and her kids. Exhausted from her activities in the garden, she had collapsed onto her bed and dozed off immediately. Carly cursed quietly at the sudden realisation, revealing her inner frustration at not realising any of this sooner.

This was the third time that she had had a dream about the mysterious teenage boy who had abruptly entered her life and that of her family's. Each dream had been different in setting and dialogue, but the theme was innately the same every time: Carly fighting off a persistent Felix and failing miserably each time. Why was she having these erotic dreams about someone more than 10 years her junior? And more importantly, why did she always make an uncanny connection back to Freddie right before the dream's end?

_I kind of thought that I'd be better all by myself_

_I've never been so wrong before_

Carly knew exactly why this was happening, but had been purposely avoiding dealing with the inner turmoil in her heart that was becoming more and more difficult to ignore. This was all because of Freddie's letter that Felix had read out in the courtroom three days ago. The two seemed completely inseparable in her head now. She could still see Felix's pained expression in her mind's eye when he had locked eyes with her before leaving the courtroom with Gibby in tow. Why had he looked at her like that? It was almost as if he knew exactly what Freddie was feeling, what he'd been trying to express in the letter he had written to her.

_You've made it impossible for me to ever love somebody else_

_And now I don't know what I left you for_

And then there was the letter too that was frustrating Carly to no end. Not a single scratch of pen inked onto the page to convey what Felix had read out. But he had known exactly what to say – how? Too many questions and not enough answers to make any of the scenarios playing out in Carly's mind probable. She was feeling a steady migraine coming on from trying to figure any of this out, and the web history on her laptop wasn't helping matters either.

Spencer had asked her two nights ago if he could borrow her computer to surf the web – he hadn't said for what reason though. And in her annoyance the day before, Carly had found her bookmark menu riddled with a score of ridiculously-sounding websites that seemed to be about 'reincarnation', 'transformation' and the like. After practically being raised by Spencer nearly all her life and having insight into his eccentric tastes, Carly had learnt a long time ago not to question her older brother's strange whims. But even this sudden interest in Theology and the occult was a little worrying to her. What had he been trying to look for?

After some deliberation, Carly finally opened up her laptop and began looking at some of the websites that Spencer had dredged up. And what she discovered from the little that even Spencer had been able to piece together himself made her all the more disconcerted. Without thinking twice about it, Carly grabbed the wireless phone in her bedroom and started dialling Sam's number.

"You've reached Sam Puckett's private line. I hope you're tall, dark, handsome and carrying a ham 'cause Momma don't like to beg for her meat." Sam purred sensually on the other end.

"Oh my God, Sam. How many times have I asked you not to answer your phone like that? It's just plain wrong," Carly complained in a revolted tone.

"It wouldn't be wrong if you just dialled my normal line and not my private line," Sam responded unabashedly.

"I forgot the number for the normal line," Carly quipped sheepishly.

Sam's ears pricked up at the sudden melancholy evident in her best friend's tone. Something was definitely up.

"What's on your mind, Cupcake? You're breathing harder than a fat kid on the look-out for Eskimo pie," Sam noted shrewdly.

"Sam, can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can, Carls."

"No bullshit answers?"

"I promise, no bullshit answers. Spit it out, Kid." Sam urged seriously.

Carly took a deep breath before answering, the phone attached tightly to her ear.

"Sam, do you believe in reincarnation?" she asked softly.

"Which part?" Sam questioned sceptically.

"The part where…do you think a person can come back…but as someone else?" Carly queried seriously, biting her bottom lip nervously while she awaited Sam's answer.

"You mean like if James Dean came back as say…Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino?" Sam asked quizzically.

"Yeah, something like that," Carly relented, even though the comparison puzzled her to no end.

"Is this about Freddie's letter and that Felix kid?" Sam pressed instinctively.

"Maybe," Carly relented uncomfortably.

"Look, Carls, we've been over this already. It was a beautiful letter…beautifully dorky and corny, much like Freddie. But you shouldn't let yourself get sucked back into all of that drama. Freddie's just trying to mess with your head," Sam answered painstakingly.

"What if he's not, Sam? What if he really meant it?" Carly persisted vehemently.

"Meant it? Carly, if he had meant it, he would've at least showed up at the courtroom to stop you from going through with the divorce. Instead, he lets Gibby march into the courtroom like the chump that he is, followed by his obnoxious son who by the way, read you a letter from a blank page. You can't possibly buy that he cares about you just from that," Sam spat derisively.

_I thought that I could replace you_

_You can't love me the way you do_

_Till now_

_I never knew_

But then she stopped short abruptly, an involuntary gasp coming out of her mouth a second later. And Carly knew that her best friend was finally grasping what she was trying to imply.

"Carls? Please…please tell me that all that reincarnation stuff you're talking about isn't because of…_Felix_?" Sam asked in horror.

"Sam, listen to me," Carly tried, but to no avail.

"No! You can't be serious! Carly, it's impossible that Felix is Freddie!" Sam exclaimed hysterically.

"But he could be, Sam! All the evidence is there! The way he looks, the way he talks. And how he seems to know certain things about me and the kids," Carly protested heatedly.

_I tried to tell myself that I'd be over you in a week or two_

_But baby, that was 'bout a year ago_

"He could've found all of that stuff out from Gibby – he knows you almost well as I do or the nub for that matter. Based on what I saw at Gibby's house the other night, it's obvious that Felix likes you. He could be stalking you for all you know." Sam stated worriedly.

"I don't think he's doing that, Sam. I haven't seen him since two days ago in the courtroom. And I don't think that Matt's even spoken to him either." Carly replied calmly.

"Maybe he's not stalking you, but it's still a little weird." Sam stated with revulsion.

"Carls, for all you know, Felix could've made the whole thing up about Freddie writing a letter! Did you stop to consider that?" she demanded excitably.

"I don't think he'd do that, Sam. You saw the way he looked right after he finished 'reading the letter', he was totally heartbroken. Besides, Gibby would never let his own son get away with something like that," Carly protested vehemently.

"I thought you just said that Felix isn't really Gibby's son," Sam reminded shrewdly.

Carly groaned in exasperation, causing Sam to chuckle with satisfaction.

"I really don't think that you can explain any of this away with reincarnation, Carly." Sam remarked more sympathetically than before.

"Have you seen Freddie at all since that day two months ago when you walked in on us having that big fight?" Carly demanded impatiently.

"Well no, but-"

"Don't you think that's a little weird, Sam?"

"A little! But that doesn't mean that Freddie's disappeared and come back as a 17 year old kid, Carly. Besides, doesn't he have to be dead first for that to happen?" Sam questioned sensibly.

Carly hadn't considered that. And now that Sam had mentioned it, her entire theory seemed to fall flat on its face.

"Carly, I don't think you're worried about Freddie and Felix being the same person." Sam remarked knowingly.

"I'm not?" Carly asked in surprise, not expecting this from her best friend.

"No, I don't. I think what really worries you is that you're getting the two of them mixed up in your head." Sam answered quietly.

"What do you mean?" Carly demanded sharply.

"Felix isn't Freddie. But maybe you wish that he was because it reminds you of who Freddie used to be and how much the two of you loved each other before everything went to hell." Sam responded earnestly.

_I've never seen the word 'love' so personified as I do with you_

_And that is why I just can't let go_

Carly chewed on her bottom lip for quite some time while digesting this piece of information.

"So what are you saying? You think I'm still in love with Freddie?" she asked quietly after a long pause.

_I'm spoiled by your love_

_Boy_

_No matter how I try to change my mind_

_What's the point?_

_It's just a waste of time_

"You tell me. You postponed the court date. What did you do it for?" Sam questioned seriously.

_I'm spoiled by your touch_

_The love you give is just too hard to find_

_Don't wanna live without you in my life_

_I'm spoiled_

_Spoiled_

"I don't know, I guess I just need time to think about things and sort through my feelings. I don't wanna do anything rash," Carly murmured truthfully.

_And I would only be fooling myself_

_If I tried to believe there's room_

_For someone else in my heart_

"That's a good idea." Sam agreed readily.

"Maybe I do still love him, Sam." Carly conceded after a long while

"I'm just not sure if it changes anything," she concluded sadly.

_There ain't no way I'm getting over you_

_I don't know what I've been trying to prove_

_I'm hopeless, helpless_

_When it comes to you_

_

* * *

_

And while Carly continued her conversation with Sam, the object of her affections stood alone on a basketball court at Ridgeway waiting for someone. The person whom he was supposed to be meeting came strolling towards him slowly, carrying an orange basketball in his hands.

"Hey, Matt." Freddie greeted solemnly.

"Hey, Felix." Matt greeted back, matching his tone.

"Thanks for meeting with me. I really appreciate you coming," Freddie thanked sincerely.

"No problem," Matt replied stoically.

"So…what's on your mind?" he asked after a few seconds of silence.

"I just wanted to meet with you to tell you in person about how sorry I am for what went down at the party the other night," Freddie began painstakingly.

"Felix-"

"Just hear me out for a second. What happened with your Mom…I was way out of line for kissing her and I'm really sorry it happened." Freddie continued sincerely.

Matt studied his friend's face for a few seconds till it made Freddie slightly uncomfortable.

"So…when you went out of your way to be friendly to me that day in the bathroom…while we were friends the whole time, you weren't just using me to get close to my Mom?" Matt asked carefully.

"God, no! Matt, it wasn't like that, I promise you. I became friends with you because I thought you were a cool guy, I still do. I know that we probably can't go back to the way it was before, but I want you to know that no matter what happens, I never went out of my way to hurt you. You have to believe me." Freddie pleaded vehemently, unshed tears stinging his eyes mercilessly.

"It's ok, bro. I believe you." Matt replied graciously, throwing Freddie a small smile.

Then he did something that surprised Freddie even more: he held out his fist towards him. Freddie took the gesture gratefully and bumped his fist against his son's as a sign of solidarity. Then Matt began chuckling softly, which amazed Freddie to no end.

"What?" Freddie asked curiously.

"You have a crush on my mom," Matt replied with a smirk on his face reminiscent of his father's.

Freddie blushed a deep shade of red at this and began spluttering abashedly.

"I wouldn't call it a crush exactly, it's more like admiration and…"

"Felix, it's cool. It weirds me out a little, but I get it. I don't blame you entirely for liking her, my Mom's pretty amazing." Matt intercepted graciously, a sense of pride filling his tone when he spoke about Carly.

"You're right, she is." Freddie agreed sincerely.

"It's too bad that my Dad doesn't get it. He had a chance to make things right by coming to the courthouse the other day and he didn't even pitch. He just sent a letter with you and Uncle Gibby." Matt retorted, his tone rife with disappointment.

This remark tore at Freddie's insides like a punch straight to the gut. But he kept his emotions in check and looked at his son steadily as he spoke.

"You're right, it sucks that he didn't come, Matt. For what it's worth, he regrets that he couldn't be there. I guess writing a letter to your Mom was a final ditch-effort for him to let her know…let you and Corrie know too that he still cares." Freddie offered earnestly.

"I guess," Matt remarked with a shrug.

"Before you go, I wanna give you this," Freddie stated abruptly, reaching quickly into his jeans pocket.

He retrieved a small object and placed it awkwardly into his son's hand. Matt glanced down at his hand and saw what looked like a key ring with a small basketball attached to it made out of pewter.

"What's this?" Matt asked quizzically.

"My mom gave this to me when I played my very first basketball game. I've never played a single game without this pendant attached to the chain that I wear around my neck. Maybe it's kind of corny, but it's like a good luck charm to me. I hope it'll bring you some luck along the way too. I wanted to give it to you before the last game of the season tomorrow in case I don't see you afterwards." Freddie explained hurriedly.

Matt sensed there was more than what Felix was telling him.

"What do you mean? Are you going somewhere?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well, there's college after graduation, which is a couple of weeks away. I've been accepted into a few places out of state, but I haven't decided where to go yet." Freddie offered in a non-committal tone.

"So you're leaving?" Matt asked sadly.

"Yeah, I am. I just need a clean slate, somewhere new to start over." Freddie replied, matching his son's tone.

"Well, it sucks that you have to leave. I hope you find what you're looking for, bro." Matt offered stoically.

"Yeah, me too." Freddie responded gravely.

As he prepared to leave, Freddie thought of something else he wanted to say to his son.

"Matt?"

"Yeah, Felix?"

"Are we still friends?" Freddie asked weakly, afraid of the answer he would receive.

Without warning, Matt moved towards Freddie and gave him a quick brotherly hug before pulling away.

"Yeah, we're still friends, Felix, but my family needs me right now. My mom's going through such a hard time with her and my Dad getting divorced and Corrie's still upset about breaking up with Reed. I've gotta be there for them as much as I can. You understand, right?" Matt asked seriously.

Freddie understood all too well. And he couldn't have been prouder of his son if he tried.

"Yeah, I understand." Freddie answered sincerely.

"Thank you for the lucky charm…and for all your help with Nicole. I wouldn't have had a shot with her if it hadn't been for you," Matt thanked earnestly.

"You don't have to thank me for that. You're the one who did all the hard work and plucked up the courage to talk to her in the first place. I just provided the party that screwed everything up," Freddie reasoned sardonically on the last part, causing Matt to guffaw loudly.

"I'd better get going," Freddie greeted slowly as he made to leave.

"You got a lot to do today?" Matt inquired curiously.

"I'm doing the rounds with different people today. You're not the only person I have to apologise to." Freddie joked lightly, causing Matt to laugh.

"See ya around," Freddie greeted brighly.

Matt smiled at him and waved. As Freddie started walking away, he looked back once more and saw Matt begin his round of basketball drills. He grinned to himself when his son made a flawless 3-point shot, the ball swishing comfortably through the net.

* * *

Freddie felt distinctly out of place in this lavish neighbourhood, preparing to ring the impressive doorbell on the house which he stood outside of. But he squared his shoulders and rang the doorbell, clutching a piece of paper in his hand. Gibby would most likely dip him in bacon fat and roast him over an open flame if he knew what he'd taken from his private collection, but Freddie was desperate to make amends. And if that meant violating certain codes of discretion between best friends, then so be it.

He heard soft footsteps approaching the door before it opened, revealing Tasha Baxter on the other side.

"Felix?" Tasha asked in surprise, opening the front door wider to get a better look at him.

"Hi…Principal Baxter," Freddie greeted with an awkward wave.

"Felix, what are you doing here?" Tasha demanded in amazement.

"Do you mind if I come in for just a second?" Freddie asked gently.

"Just for a second to talk," he added hurriedly when Tasha looked like she might refuse.

With a deep sigh, Tasha finally relented and allowed Freddie to walk past her as she softly shut her front door behind her. Then the two stood together in the hallway of her house in somewhat of an awkward stance: Tasha folding her arms tightly over her chest while Freddie's arms swung at his sides.

"You have a lovely home," Freddie noted with evident awe in his tone while he subtly surveyed his surroundings.

"Thank you, Felix." Tasha replied graciously.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked pointedly, her tone business-like taking effect once more.

"Well, you see…it's about my Dad actually," Freddie began hesitantly, still uncomfortable with referring to Gibby in this manner in front of his high school principal.

Tasha sighed again, but didn't say anything in response, allowing Freddie to continue.

"Look, it was all my idea to throw a victory party for the basketball team at my house, my Dad didn't even know about it. I took advantage of the fact because I knew that he wanted to take you out to dinner on the same night-"

"Felix, I think that's very sweet of you and loyal to take your Dad's side, I wouldn't expect anything else in a similar situation. I also appreciate you coming here and taking responsibility for your actions, that's a very mature thing to do. But this is between me and your Dad. We're both grown-ups and we'll deal with the matter accordingly." Tasha intercepted in a sensibly firm tone.

Then something else began bothering Tasha while she studied Freddie's face.

"Did your Dad send you here to talk to me?" she prodded suspiciously.

"My Dad doesn't even know I'm here," Freddie explained swiftly, causing Tasha to widen her eyes in surprise.

"And he'd probably kill me if he knew I was here talking to you. I'm gonna go now. But there is something I want to leave you with."

Freddie unfolded the slip of paper in his hand and gave it to Tasha who examined it with a raised eyebrow.

"What's this?" she asked curiously.

_Oh, it's Carnival Night_

_And they're stringing the lights around you_

_Hanging paper angels_

_Painting little devils on the roof_

"I know my Dad's not the coolest or the smoothest guy in the world. He says a lot of inappropriate things when he's nervous and he spends way too much time playing video games. With that said, I've never seen him look at anyone else the way he looks at you, Principal Baxter. He really likes you a lot and even though he'd never admit it to me in a million years, he really wants you to give him another chance. I hope that slip of paper I just gave you will help convince you of the kind of man my Dad really is and not who he's pretending to be." Freddie concluded seriously.

_Oh, the furnace wind_

_There's a flickering of wings about your face_

_In a cloud of incense_

_Yeah, it smells like heaven in this place_

"You have a good day, Principal Baxter."

He grinned one last time at her before letting himself out through the front door. Tasha stared at the door for a good minute before turning her attention to the paper that Felix had just handed her.

_A dream that flies_

_The moment that you open up your eyes_

_A dream is just a riddle_

_It goes from every corner of your life_

She went to sit down on the sofa in her living room and grabbed her reading glasses from the coffee table. She realised with sudden chagrin that Felix had given her a poem which looked like it was written by Gibby.

_Up in the balconies_

_All the Romeos are bleeding for your hand_

_Throwing theatre kisses_

_Reciting lines they don't understand_

"'The Fly and the Sun'," Tasha read aloud, frowning again at the strange title located at the top of the page.

She pursed her lips and began reading over the scrawling script:

_I can't eat, can't sleep_

_Still I hunger for you when you look at me_

_That face, those eyes_

_All the sinful pleasures deep inside_

_My Tasha_

_Angelic Cherubim_

_Radiant Beauty_

_Your brilliance is like the glistening sun_

_And I, pestilent fly_

_Flew too close to your burning flame_

_Now I'm falling quickly, meeting gravity head on_

_No wings to help me glide_

_No parachute to break my stride_

_No loving arms or caresses to warm my bones_

_No whisper or lullabies to silence this buzzing drone_

_Pitiable creature am I_

_Hopeless, witless, foolish fly_

_But who will deny me metaphor or pun?_

_Hapless fly who collided purposely with the scorching sun_

_Tell me how you know now_

_The ways and means of getting in underneath my skin_

_Oh you were always my original sin_

Tasha's breath caught abruptly in her throat, feeling like she couldn't breathe for a moment. Just to make sure that she'd read the words correctly, as if they belonged to another hand, she poured over the contents of the poem several more times, drinking in the words like a baby tasting milk for the first time. Soon she became so absorbed in her task that she didn't notice the seconds, and later the hours, ticking away seamlessly.

_Tell me why I shudder inside_

_Every time we begin this dangerous game_

_Oh you were always my original sin_

_

* * *

_

Freddie made it back to Gibby's home quite quickly after his rendezvous with Tasha. He didn't say where he'd been and Gibby hadn't asked either, sitting on his sofa with his laptop in his lap, playing a video game with yet another adolescent online player. Gibby had his earphones tightly shoved into his ears and Freddie wasn't slow in noticing that Gibby's usual taunts to his young opponent weren't nearly as robust or as obnoxious as usual. Sighing quietly, Freddie made his way into his bedroom and plonked himself onto his bed, more than willing to take a nap and just drift off for a little while.

But unlike his best intentions, sleep didn't provide him the necessary relief that he desired or enough of a distraction from his abstract thoughts. And he awoke two hours later, disgruntled and groggy, his thoughts drifted absurdly back to one particular inanimate object: the hammock. Why Freddie wasn't suddenly preoccupied with the fact that he had never finished it was anyone's guess. But it was plaguing his mind now, taunting him and every other endeavour he had never been able to complete, including his marriage. Carly's words about the unfinished hammock from their previous argument kept ringing in his ears like a persistent gong.

What had become of it?

He, Matt, Carly and Spencer had moved it out of the backyard and stored it in the garage while refurbishing the garden. He remembered how weighty it had felt on his back when he had moved with it, as it was tied to him both literally and figuratively.

Why had he never fixed it?

In Carly's words, he had simply given up trying. That part was true, but there was more to it. He had been afraid to finish it. If he had completed it, would it have changed anything? That sense of finishing that measly contraption and moving onto the next bout of nothingness, that insoluble feeling of failure which constantly plagued him, he just couldn't do it.

But what left now?

Suddenly, Freddie was on his feet, having climbed out of bed and hastened to put on a pair of sweat pants and a hoodie over his boxers and vest and sneakers on his feet. It was pure lunacy to even consider going back to his former home, especially if anyone (or more specifically, Carly) caught him in the act. But he had to try, he had to make it right somehow.

Sneaking into the backyard had been infinitely easy. With his newfound agility and strength, Freddie scaled the wooden gate in one fell swoop, landing soundlessly on his two feet. Sneaking into the garage to grab the hammock and the necessary tools on the other hand proved to be a Herculean task. But to Freddie's relief, no one came out to inspect the slight noises he made when he dragged the unfinished hammock onto the wooden deck. It was nearly 7pm and the moon was already high in the sky, reflecting off of the plants in the backyard. He could only see one light on in the house near his and Carly's bedroom. He surmised that Corrie, Matt must be out for the night. Spencer's room was near the back; if he was in his room, he probably wouldn't come out to inspect. With that added assurance, Freddie ripped off his hoodie and tossed it to the side and began his work.

_Once upon a time_

_We swore not to say goodbye_

_Something got a hold of us and we changed_

After her phone conversation with Sam a few hours prior, Carly had left the house abruptly and taken to driving around the city for a while with no set destination. She had gotten home around 5pm and found that she still had the house to herself. Corrie was sleeping over at Michelle's house and Matt was out on a date with his new girlfriend, Nicole. Spencer was having dinner with a prospective client who wanted him to make a sculpture for a new art gallery opening up downtown. Still feeling decidedly abstract from her talk with Sam and her own lingering thoughts about Freddie, Carly immediately went to the attic and began sifting through some of hers and Freddie's boxes of prized possessions from their high school days.

_Then you sat alone in pride_

_And I sat at home and cried_

_How'd our fairytale just end up this way?_

It took a long while to find what she was looking for. But when she found it, she dusted off the faded blue book and took it out of the attic with her and made her way back into her bedroom. Switching on her bedside lamp, Carly crept under the covers and began skimming through the contents of her old yearbook from senior year.

_I can't wait to hate you_

_Make you pain like I do_

_Still can't shake you off_

_I can't wait to break through these emotional changes_

_Seems like such a lost cause_

She smiled when she caught sight of Gibby's main picture, his goofy face grinning back at her in his normal clothes and in his mascot uniform. Then she turned a few pages to get to Sam's picture. Her best friend still looked as imposing as ever, the only difference being that she was more aware of her beauty and her sex appeal, using it constantly as a tool to ensnare unsuspecting men. She looked at any and every picture while trying her hardest to ignore the one picture she wanted to see most. Finally, with a sigh of resignation, Carly began turning the pictures towards the front part of the alphabetical list of her senior class till she came to the letter 'B'.

_I can't wait to face you_

_Break you down so low there's no place left to go_

And there he was: his signature smirk etched on his striking face, brown eyes sparkling with mischief, his shaggy brown hair looking mussed and tousled against the blue backdrop of the artificial screen behind him. After years of suffering through his mother's ritual hair cuts, Freddie had insisted on growing out his hair during senior year and Carly hadn't minded in the least. It made it all the more easy for her to run her hands through it when she kissed him, which happened quite often. Her fingers began tracing fine lines along the glossy page till they reached his eyes, lingering ever so slightly on his mouth while he smiled up at her…

_I can't wait to hate you_

She couldn't look at him anymore; it dredged up too many memories that she would prefer stay dead and buried. In her sudden annoyance, Carly closed the yearbook with a loud snap and tossed it haphazardly beside her. That's when she heard the slightest of noises coming from the backyard which sounded like footsteps. She sat up straight atop her duvet and listened intently.

Freddie was just putting the finishing touches to the hammock. He had discarded of his vest 30 minutes ago, his upper-body gleaming with sweat while he worked tirelessly. After screwing in the nails once more, he shifted the hammock slightly so that it rested in a better position on the wooden deck. Then after putting his vest back on, he examined his handiwork with a strange sense of pride. It looked better than he could've possibly imagined, its freshness feeling like an omen of new and exciting things to come.

But then came the hard part when Freddie finally realised with a sinking sensation in his belly that nothing new was happening, but that everything was ending, and far quicker than he ever believed.

_We went round for round till we knocked love out_

_We were laying in the ring not making a sound_

_And if that's a metaphor of you and I_

_Why is it so hard to say goodbye?_

He had only had just enough time to leave behind some mementos when he heard sudden footsteps coming towards the patio door. He grabbed his hoodie and leapt off the deck onto the gravel pathway and hid quickly behind a clump of bushes. He had made it just in time when none other than Carly opened up the sliding doors and switched on the lights to the patio.

Everything appeared to be exactly as it should be. Perhaps she had imagined that she'd heard footsteps in the garden. Just as she was about to berate herself for being far too neurotic, Carly turned to her left and recognised what had been wrong with the picture all along.

The old hammock was on the deck.

_This was a love phenomenon that no one could explain_

_And I wish I could press reset and feel that feeling again_

But it was no longer dusty, splintered or mouldy-looking. It was bright, shiny and new. The wood had been sanded down and varnished to make it gleam and blue and white cotton cloths upon which the recipient slept had been attached to the device.

Carly surmised correctly that whoever she thought might've been in the garden a few minutes ago could have something to do with the hammock being in its current position.

_I sit and press rewind_

_And watch us every night_

_Wanna pause it, but I can't make it stay_

But who had finished it? And where were they now?

Carly glanced frantically around the garden before her, her eyes lingering on a particular bush momentarily before she digressed. Then she saw a piece of paper resting on top of the hammock. Curious, she moved towards the hammock and picked up the piece of paper, which was the exact shade of blue as the hammock. It was a letter, written in an untidy scrawl, which read:

_I wish I could finish everything I started._

_Freddie._

That's when she noticed the metallic object she had cast aside in her haste to read the letter. It had been resting on top of the page and Carly finally recognised it as Freddie's gold wedding band.

It was a short letter, far shorter than the one Felix had read out in the courtroom. But the message behind this letter was infinitely clearer than its predecessor. The former had declared Freddie's love for her in abound. The latter, however, practically dismissed the former.

_No need to call my phone 'cause I changed my number today_

_Matter fact, I think I'm movin' away_

_Sorry this frustration's got me fading away_

_And I just keep having one last thing to say_

A tear slipped from Carly's eye, which she wiped at hastily while she pocketed Freddie's ring. And she stood there on the deck for a long while, holding the blue piece of paper in her hand and reading the letter over and over again.

_And I just wanna hold you_

_Touch you, feel you, be near you_

_I miss you_

_Baby, baby, baby_

Freddie watched her from the bush where he hid, a forlorn expression on his face. There was no point wishing that he could undo every last cruel thing he'd ever said and done to hurt Carly. They were past the point of no return now.

_I'm tired of trying to fake through _

_But there's nothing I can do_

_Boy I can't wait to hate you_

With a heavy heart, Freddie made sure that Carly was otherwise absorbed in reading his letter before he slunk away from his hiding place. He made the leap over the gate without a sound before Carly could even register that she was well and truly alone in the backyard.

And then he trudged slowly into the night, his hands deep in his pockets, back to his own personal exile.

* * *

**Musical References:**

**1) "Spoiled" by Joss Stone**

**2) "Original Sin" by Elton John**

**3) "H.A.T.E.U." by Mariah Carey**

**

* * *

Author's Note: Phew, I definitely broke a mental sweat while writing this. I hope you all enjoyed the Creddie-ness (or Celix) at the start of the chapter, I do so love to embellish ; ) A special thank you to The Earl of Sandwich and chapter 1 of "No River To Take Me Home" for inspiring Gibby's poem to Tasha. In case anyone's wondering, I did actually write the poem, just wanted to clear that up. With a playlist of some of my favourite ballads, writing this chapter was easily the highlight of my entire week. Thank you to all of you out there for making it a pleasure to write this story. Happy holidays to all of you!**


	15. The Wreckoning

**Author's Note: Hey, everybody! Gosh, what a frenzied week, trying to get Christmas shopping done for presents and lunch tomorrow. I'm supposed to be making chocolate mousse. But I thought I'd update the story for your viewing pleasure since I don't want any more people crying over the past few morose chapters - you know who you are...aisforangelaaa ; ) A special thank you to the following people for getting this story past 100 reviews:**

**Fanfic-Reader-88, RemDiamond, sockstar, baronvonmilo, The Earl Of Sandwich, damnreality, DoctrineDark, BlackRoseForever and aisforangelaaa. **

**Warning: This is a super-long chapter. In sockstar terms, you'd better go camping and pitch a tent. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly or 17 Again.  
**

* * *

Carly went straight to bed soon after seeing the finished hammock on the wooden deck in the backyard. But for all its worth, Carly could've stayed on the deck all night long because it would've amounted to the exact same thing at the end of it. Because she found herself standing in the same position as the night before, short of carrying a blue slip of paper in her hands along with Freddie's wedding band which he had discarded so indifferently.

The hammock was all she could see right now, her corneas pointedly ignoring the lushness of the trees covering the outskirts of the backyard and the freshness of the flowers blooming at first light. It was Corrie who finally strolled through the patio doors and roused her from her deep reverie.

"Mom," Corrie stated softly.

Carly spun around and faced her teenage daughter for the first time all morning long. She had expected Corrie to be frosty towards her after the party at Gibby's house a few nights ago when Felix had kissed her. More than expecting it, she knew she deserved it. She was the mother in this scenario, the adult, the one of the two parties who should've known better than to encourage the advances of a teenage boy.

But Corrie had surprised Carly by blaming Felix wholly for the entire debacle, citing in a derisive tone that the latter had taken advantage of the current atmosphere in their home by making himself indispensable in light of Freddie's absence. Carly was relieved that her relationship with her daughter wouldn't be irrevocably ruined because of what had transpired at Gibby's house. Carly knew she had been fussing and worrying about Matt lately because he was the youngest and the baby of the family. But that didn't mean that she didn't care about her daughter's well-being in ways that bordered on psychotic and overprotective.

She knew how hard it had been for Corrie since Reed had broken up with her. Carly had been intensely relieved at this sudden turn of events because of her own dislike for Reed. But she had kept most of her feelings to herself on that particular topic, happy that she could finally focus on the things that mattered most to her right now: her kids and her new entrepreneurial venture.

"It's time to go to the game," Corrie reminded gently.

"Right, of course. Let's go," Carly replied with a small smile on her face as she approached Corrie.

The two of them got into the family car a few minutes later and drove off slowly down the road out of their neighbourhood. Matt wasn't with them, having gotten a ride with Nicole to Ridgeway an hour prior; Spencer was running some errands in town and was planning on meeting them at the school right before the game. For the most part, the two women drove in comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Hey, Mom. Are you ok?" Corrie asked finally, her voice laced with concern.

Carly turned to face her daughter and gave her a small smile.

"I'm fine, honey. Just thinking about everything that's happened lately," she admitted truthfully.

"Yeah, me too. I'm sorry that I've kind of been wrapped up in my own world," Corrie apologised meekly.

"Sweetheart, there's absolutely nothing to apologise for. If anything, I'm sorry that I've been so self-absorbed during all of this. I know it's been a tough time for you and your brother. But I want you to know that I love you so much, Corrie. You and Matt are my everything; if there's anything that I know for certain that I've done right in my life, it's the two of you. No matter what happens from here on out, I will always be here for you." Carly declared vehemently.

With one hand still on the steering wheel, Carly reached over and clasped Corrie's hand gently in hers, her thumb grazing softly over her hand. She was secretly pleased when Corrie grasped her hand back, squeezing it ever so slightly.

"Thanks, Mom. I love you too," Corrie replied sincerely, giving Carly a small smile in return.

Carly reluctantly turned her eyes back to the road. But she smiled to herself when Corrie's hand remained in hers all the while as they drove towards Ridgeway.

* * *

Bounce.

Squeak.

Swish.

Thud.

Bounce.

Freddie continued on with the repetition in his mind, focusing on the words by themselves while he concentrated with all his might on his basketball drills. He was practising in the gym at Ridgeway an hour before the final basketball game of the season like he did every other time. But he knew this would be the last time he ever did so, therefore he worked himself even harder than ever, beating his body into submission the longer he practised.

He dribbled the orange basketball in his hands from left to right, the yellow wood of the gym floor reflecting off of his bare chest, glistening with copious droplets of sweat. The movement was so much a part of him now that he barely gave it a second thought as the ball left his hands, sailing through the air with the greatest of ease as it bounced off the backboard and flew through the hoop.

The scouts would be coming out in the hordes today, anxious to find the next Dwayne Wade amongst this group of skinny and awkward teenage boys all too ready to prove themselves at all costs. Freddie was ready to do the same, ready to do anything that helped him avoid the awful pain in his chest of everything he would be gaining today as well as all of the things he would be losing.

But it was too late to go back now. He'd gotten everything he wanted in the past two months. He'd spent enough years going back on every single one of his promises, he wouldn't falter on this particular one. He owed his family that much to finally give them the happiness that they deserved, without him.

Coach Lennox approached Freddie while he continued shooting a couple of perfect free-throws from the 3-point line.

"Nice shot, Gibson." Coach Lennox praised in a gruff voice.

"Thanks, Coach." Freddie replied meekly.

"Why not save some for the game, huh?" Coach Lennox asked rapidly, referring to Freddie's shooting.

"Just warming up, Coach." Freddie remarked casually, a strange sense of dejavu sweeping over him, remembering last time he'd said those exact words.

"I got some inside info for ya, Gibson: The scout from WSU is back, and the coach is with him. If you play half the game I know you're capable of, you're gonna be playing college ball this time next year." Coach Lennox declared seriously.

"That's the plan, Coach." Freddie responded with a distant look in his eye, matching his tone.

That's when everything began moving faster during the day, like a film in a fast-forward sequence. Suddenly he wasn't alone in the gym anymore; the rest of his team mates flooded the court, including Matt who slapped high-fives with him in greeting. The photographer made his way along the wooden floor as the team got into position for their group photo which was going into the yearbook. Freddie caught sight of the basketball mascot, a kid named Max, who was sporting a costume with the head of a bulldog over his face. Such a vast difference from the days when Gibby used to run onto the court with his turtle mask on, getting the crowd hyped alongside the cheerleaders right before each game.

"Alright, jock-straps! Gather round, it's picture-time!" Coach Lennox barked loudly.

"Try not to break the camera," he suggested sardonically.

Freddie barely noticed when the camera flashed blindingly into his eyes several times as he held up the placard for Ridgeway's basketball team, a plastered smile etched onto his weary features. Then all of the boys were traipsing back into the locker room, pulling on their basketball vests over their bodies, each lost in their own thoughts as they prepared themselves mentally for what lay ahead. And then they were stepping out onto the court, running through a wide banner and; as each player came to a standstill, they stood in position and waited for their other team mates to pass by, slapping their hands as they went as per Ridgeway basketball tradition. The crowd was screaming and cheering for them and the team began their drills as they prepared for the game. The cheerleaders began their routine; then Nicole was at the top of the pyramid before being spun around and caught by another male cheerleader, a beaming smile painted on her lovely face.

_She don't know who she is_

_I can take her anywhere_

_Do whatever comes naturally to you_

Carly and Corrie weaved their way through the crowd, making their way up a flight of stairs. Corrie caught sight of Reed staring at her and rolled her eyes pointedly.

"I can't wait to get to Stamford and start dating college boys," she murmured dryly.

"Sounds like an exciting endeavour, honey." Carly remarked loyally, lost in her own thoughts.

The two of them found an optimum spot in the middle of the bleachers and scanned the rows for somewhere to sit. Carly frowned when Corrie suddenly snorted disdainfully beside her.

"What's wrong, Corrie?" Carly asked in concern.

"That's what's wrong," Corrie quipped scathingly, shooting daggers at someone below them on the basketball court.

Carly followed her daughter's gaze and her eyes locked on Felix, who was staring back at her. She felt her heart-rate quicken involuntarily in her chest at the penetrating look that he was currently giving her. Recollections of her latest dreams began flooding her mind and colouring her cheeks with a distinct shade of rouge. How could someone she barely knew have this kind of affect on her?

_You know she just don't care_

_You know she just don't care_

"…I still can't believe the nerve of him. And here I thought that he was hanging out with Alex to get to me. Turns out he was after you the whole time. " Corrie continued on indignantly.

"Don't worry about it anymore, Corrie. No one will ever come between us, I promise," Carly stated softly while placing a reassuring hand on Corrie's shoulder.

Corrie looked at Carly and nodded as the two of them took their seats.

Freddie turned away unwillingly from the crowd and back to the court where his team mates continued with their drills. He had fully expected to get nothing but 'the stink eye' from Corrie, but Carly was another story altogether. She didn't seem angry with him, far from it. If Freddie were being honest with himself, he thought that she looked sad, but more than that, she looked speculative. The thought alone made Freddie feel surprisingly giddy and light-hearted for a moment, as if all was not entirely lost.

Tasha was seated not too far away from where Carly and Corrie were in the huge gym. Her hands were resting across her lap while she stared down at the court without really seeing anything. She heard a strange commotion to her right and she thought she heard someone call her name.

"Tasha!"

She whipped around to stare at Gibby, who was pushing through the crowd to get to her from a few paces away. And he was wearing a very strange cloak of sorts which covered his neck and went down to his ankles over his jeans, T-shirt and sneakers.

"Excuse me! Coming though! I'm sorry me! Pardon me!" Gibby chanted incessantly, weaving his way through a group of disgruntled spectators who kept shooting him looks of annoyance.

_Now I see her again_

_I asked to be a hummingbird_

And then he was finally standing (or hunched over) in front of her, trying to catch his breath. Tasha instinctively got to her feet and steered Gibby over towards the railing and away from the crowd behind them, watching their every move intently.

"Tasha, I really need to talk to you," Gibby began breathlessly.

_Whisper words in her ear_

"Gibby, what are you doing?" Tasha demanded softly.

Gibby took a deep breath before continuing.

"Ok, I practised this before coming here, so I'm just gonna spit it out. I have just seen my best friend lose everything that means anything to him. Maybe you and I will never get to that point, but-"

"Gibby, wait…" Tasha intercepted rapidly.

"I hear what you're saying, but I just don't see how it can work between us. It's just too complicated. I'm a high school principal and you're the parent of one of my students. I just can't be seen with you." She added morosely.

_And now you know I just don't care_

_You know she just don't care_

Gibby tried a different tact when Tasha looked away from him to stare at the basketball players on the court below them.

"But Tasha, how can you be seen with me when I'm wearing a cloak of invisibility?" Gibby questioned cleverly with a pointed glance at his clothing.

'_Cause I am always where I need to be_

Tasha turned to face Gibby in amazement. Then she followed his gaze as they rested on his strange attire. Now she understood what he was getting at. It brought back a flood of memories from a few nights ago when they'd had dinner together, as if she really needed help remembering. They had talked about 'Lord of the Rings' almost the entire time they sat together as well as 'Galaxy Wars' and a host of other topics. She couldn't remember having ever laughed so hard or enjoyed herself so immensely in the company of a man before she'd met Gibby Gibson. She had enjoyed herself so much that for a fleeting moment, she had actually considered breaking her rule about having sex on the first date. The memory immediately put a reluctant smile on her face, which pulled at her cheeks and eyes like a puppeteer's string. She could feel a blush creeping slowly onto her cheeks as she struggled to keep her emotions in check.

_And I always thought I would end up with you eventually_

"Tasha, all I'm asking for is a chance for us to be friends and to get to know each other. I just wanna know what you're all about and I want you to know me too. Because…you're the one I want by my side when…I'm storming the Elvish Castle of Ganakinesh." Gibby declared seriously.

Tasha's breath caught sharply in her throat at the deep sincerity evident in Gibby's tone.

"Gibby…" she murmured painstakingly.

"Yes, Tasha?" Gibby asked gently.

"The only thing I can possibly say in response to that is…" she trailed off slowly.

"You can plunder my dungeon any time," she concluded seductively, meeting Gibby's gaze bravely, her eyes ablaze with a certain emotion.

Gibby's eyes opened wide in astonishment before he stared back at Tasha with a smoldering look on his face.

"I'll bring my long bow," he replied in a husky voice, causing Tasha to bite her bottom lip.

"You wanna get out of here?" he asked suddenly, catching her off guard.

"What did you have in mind?" Tasha questioned curiously.

"Let's get to know each other," Gibby suggested sincerely with a small smile on his face.

Tasha eyed Gibby for a few seconds before nodding vigorously, a big smile on her face. Then she acquiesced when Gibby held out his hand to her, taking it in her own as the two of them strolled out of the row of seats and down the stairs amidst the screaming spectators.

"Well, that's new," Carly murmured in awe, watching Gibby and Tasha leave the gym together.

"Urgh, old people." Corrie remarked with an involuntary shudder, causing Carly to grimace at her ever so slightly.

The two basketball teams were already on the court, standing together in two tight huddles, going over the plays with their coaches. Ridgeway's huddle placed their hands together in the middle and did their traditional chant before breaking apart. Freddie stepped away from the group of teenage boys until he was facing the crowd again and well within Carly's line of sight. Corrie had taken out her cellphone at that exact moment, so she missed the non-verbal message that passed between her mother and Felix. Without thinking twice about it or the fact that he was in an auditorium filled with people, Freddie suddenly blew Carly a kiss and mimed shooting a basketball through a hoop in her direction.

Carly's gasped sharply, feeling like she was about to go into cardiac arrest. That simple gesture brought up a multitude of memories that hadn't gained momentum to break the surface of relentless time. As far back as she could recollect, Freddie had greeted her with that same gesture whenever he stepped onto a basketball court when he was a teenager. She was always closer to the bench where his team mates sat during each quarter. But he always found a way to pick her out of the crowd, far or near. Then he would blow her a kiss and pretend to make a shot with his two hands. It was his signal for her, one of few that they shared together that no one else knew about, the only one reserved just for her alone.

'_Cause I'm always where I need to be_

_And I always thought I would end up with you_

_Eventually_

A symbol of his love.

"Oh my God," Carly whispered in horror.

She didn't even realise she was on her feet till Corrie was staring at her in surprise and a few people began murmuring in irritation behind her.

"Mom? Are you ok?" Corrie asked in confusion, unable to read her mother's unfathomable expression.

"I can't be here again. I have to go," Carly mumbled vaguely.

Then she began fighting her way through the crowd, leaving her daughter to stare after her in amazement, trying to find her way to the stairwell that would lead her to freedom and relief from the persistent past that wouldn't give her a moment's rest.

The game was in full swing now, players racing to and fro with blinding speed, a flash of orange passing between them as they tried their hardest to possess it. Freddie had turned his back immediately on Carly after gesturing to her, so he hadn't seen her leave her seat and make her way to the stairs. But when he made a clever steal from the opponent he was blocking and held him off valiantly, he turned around to face the crowd and came eyeball to eyeball with Carly.

_I'm a man, I'm a man_

_I'm a man on the scene_

_I'm a man and I can be so obscene_

She was leaving.

That's when the world crashed right into the sun, incinerating it into a million pieces of smouldering rock. The pieces scattered far into space, sailing into deep chasms of blackness that swallowed them right up.

_Because I always think that I know how to be_

He knew she wasn't coming back, not this time.

_But I always thought I would end up with you eventually_

Without planning to, Freddie started replaying a similar event much like this one in his head: the day that Carly told him that she was pregnant with Corrie, the day that he thought later on in life had been the end of all of his hopes and dreams.

But it hadn't been the end, it was the beginning of everything that he wanted and needed in his life.

The girl he'd always been in love with.

_Carly coming into Bushwell Plaza for the first time. _

_The first time she leant in over him and kissed him while he lay on his bed. _

The woman that he knew he'd love till the day he died.

_Freddie interrupting Carly's protests before kissing her and lifting her up into the air while he held her in his arms and spun her around the dimly lit hallway. _

Two children that he loved with everything he had in him.

_Matt waving to him with a smile on his face when he had encouraged him to go talk to Nicole at West Seattle Bowl. _

_Corrie clinging desperately to him while he hugged her after Reed had broken up with her. _

A family.

His family.

He had it all and he forgot his way forward.

"_I used to be somebody back in high school!" Freddie exclaimed heatedly at a forlorn-looking Carly. _

He convinced himself falsely that he had given up on everything he aspired towards.

_Freddie's foot slipped right over and he was falling faster and faster…swallowed up completely when he finally made contact with the water._

But he'd had it all along.

_He and Carly were dancing together in their living room: he, a young and awkward teenage boy and she, an older, sophisticatedly beautiful woman, staring deeply into each other's eyes while Freddie spun her around on the spot, holding her tightly in his arms all the while. _

There was nothing to replace, no need to change anything.

The only 'do-over' he needed was to do everything just like before.

This was what his spirit guide wanted all along, that elusive lesson which became absurdly clear now.

Coach Lennox was going out of his mind, spittle flying haphazardly from his mouth while he continued yelling at Freddie, his roaring muted by the deafening din of the crowd. The spectators gasped sharply when Ridgeway's star player suddenly smirked right at them before taking the basketball in his hand and jogging off the court towards Matt, who sat on the bench, eyeing his movements with wide eyes. He got to his feet abruptly and Freddie ran right up to his son, beaming so wide that his smile threatened to rip at the corners of his mouth.

"It's your turn now," he murmured seriously while handing him the ball and patting his son's shoulder with pride radiating out of his very pores.

The scout from WSU shook his head and scribbled something onto a clipboard, shaking his head ruefully.

And then to the crowd's amazement, Freddie Benson sprinted out of the gym at Ridgeway a second time for yet another unexplained reason. The only person who didn't look surprised was an elderly man with a white beard and sporting clothes similar to that of a janitor. He was standing in the balcony right above the entrance which Freddie had just run out of, smiling conspiratorially to himself.

The referee grabbed the ball from Matt's surprised hands.

"Travelling! Green ball!" he called out promptly before blowing sharply on his whistle.

"What are you waiting for? Get in the game, Benson!" Coach Lennox barked impatiently.

"Yes, Sir," Matt squeaked, feeling strangely elated as he clutched the basketball in his hands, shrugging rapidly out of his tracksuit as he jogged onto the court.

Freddie jogged haphazardly down the dimly lit hall outside the gym without any clear destination, only eager to find Carly and make her see reason even if it killed him.

"Carly!" Freddie yelled out sharply.

"Carls!" he exclaimed loudly.

He was completely unaware that he was travelling down that very hallway he had chased Carly down 17 years ago. And he certainly wasn't paying attention when he sprinted past the Ridgeway trophy cabinet and through a distinct wet patch of water on the floor. In his hazy state of mind, Freddie realised that he felt strangely cold and clammy, like he had been swimming in the sea for hours. And as he passed through a strange patch of silvery blue light which gave him a familiar sense of dejavu, Freddie was gasping for air, his lungs on fire, feeling unusually tired.

Carly hadn't sprinted very far; she had just made it around the corner to one of the exits in the school nearest to the cafeteria. She rested her back against the wall behind her and stood hunched over while she struggled to get her breath back. That's when she heard someone calling out her name.

She knew that voice. It had been two months since she had last heard it. And it was so vehement and desperate, much like it used to be when he was still trying to win her over without much success when they were kids.

And then he rounded the corner where she was, jogging past the corner in which she stood, breathing heavily and walking slowly. He was still shrouded in shadow, so she couldn't see his face. He had his back to her, clutching at his hair painstakingly while he stood in front of the fire escape. But Carly knew that it was him, that he had finally returned.

"It is you," she murmured in awe, finally letting her eyes sweep over him when he eventually came into focus.

It was Freddie.

He was wearing a Ridgeway basketball uniform, much like the one Felix Gibson had been wearing a few minutes ago, which looked decidedly tight around his abdomen in particular. But he was older, the same age as she was. His hair wasn't shaggy anymore, but cut neatly like before, his fringe gelled upwards instead of falling over his face. The frown lines across his forehead were still as prominent as ever. But it was him, all of him.

Freddie turned around sharply on the balls of his feet, astounded that Carly was suddenly behind him. Carly emitted a loud sigh, feeling like she was about to finally discover the truth behind everything that had transpired lately.

Neither of them moved forward, but sideways instead as they surveyed one another carefully.

"Hi." Freddie greeted awkwardly.

"Hi?" Carly asked blankly.

"I can explain," Freddie continued blankly, moving a few steps closer.

"You can?" Carly questioned in a shaky tone, her eyes wide with shock.

"Nope, not at all," Freddie quipped assuredly.

"You didn't have to come after me again, Freddie." Carly declared in an unsteady voice, taking a step back as she spoke, unshed tears forming in her brown eyes.

"Yes I did, because I love you, Carly." Freddie intercepted vehemently, coming closer each time he spoke.

"You're the best decision that I ever made. I just forgot," he breathed sincerely.

"And then I fell off a bridge and things got pretty weird after that," he added in a dubious tone.

"But I'm never gonna forget again, Carly. I promise," Freddie concluded earnestly.

Then he went for broke and stepped even closer till he was towering over his wife.

"I know that I've been in a bad mood for the past…17 years. But if you let me, I swear that I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I love you, Carly Benson." He stated genuinely.

Carly was frozen to the spot, unable to formulate coherent words while she continued staring at Freddie like she was seeing him for the first time in her life.

"I thought I wanted a second chance at life. But now I know that I just want a second chance with y-"

Freddie was cut off from talking any further when Carly suddenly grasped his face tightly in her hand, pulling his cheeks and lips forward and mashing them together. He stared at her in confusion, wondering what she was doing. Carly met Freddie's eyes and bit her lip nervously.

"Weird," she marvelled, half in shock, half in elation.

"Yeah," Freddie agreed through a mouthful of Carly's hand.

She let go abruptly a second later and just stared deep into Freddie's brown eyes for a few seconds.

"I missed you," she breathed in a husky voice before throwing herself into Freddie's arms and kissing the crap out of him.

Freddie bent his head forward and kissed Carly back, closing his eyes as he drank in her heavenly scent. Carly wrapped her arms around Freddie's neck and held him close while their lips stayed melded together. Without another thought in his head, Freddie lifted Carly up into his arms and began twirling her around on the spot while she held onto him tightly.

After nearly six successful resolutions, Freddie gave up and put Carly haphazardly back down onto the ground.

"You know…this was a lot easier to do before than it is now," Freddie murmured sheepishly while massaging the small of his back tentatively.

Carly moved into Freddie's personal space once more, her hands slipping around his waist.

"I see what you mean. You did have that really nice six-pack when you were 17," she murmured with a sly grin on her face while giving Freddie a furtive once-over.

"Any chance I'm gonna see all that muscle ever again?" Carly asked coyly.

"Maybe. If I hit the gym like…500 times a week for 20 more years after this." Freddie teased jovially, causing Carly to laugh uproariously.

"Wow, it sounds like you've got some big plans ahead of you, Fredward Benson," Carly joked lightly.

"It looks like it. Maybe I should jog home today," Freddie suggested airily.

"Maybe you should start jogging tomorrow. Right now, I have a much better idea for how we can spend the rest of the day," Carly replied in a seductive tone.

"I like the way you think, Mrs. Benson." Freddie praised cheerily, staring deeply into Carly's eyes for a moment and loving what he saw.

And then they instinctively began walking as they continued their conversation, entwining their hands together as they made their way to the fire escape.

* * *

By the time the basketball game finished, it had begun raining heavily all over Seattle. But the crowd hauled up together in Ridgeway's gym were completely unaware of this as a group of teenage boys carried Matt Benson, the boy who had clinched victory for his team, on their shoulders, cheering and screaming wildly. Matt hooted along with his team mates and smiled broadly, feeling too euphoric to be described adequately into words.

They eventually lifted him back down to the ground and Corrie came pelting towards him. She completely ignored Reed who stood in her path, bowling him over and launching herself into her younger brother's arms and hugging him warmly.

"Matt, that was amazing! I'm so proud of you!" Corrie gushed earnestly, sounding exactly like an older sister right then and there.

"Thanks, Corrie. I think that's the first time you've ever said that to me," Matt replied with a big grin on his face.

"Well, don't get too used to it," Corrie retorted lightly, grinning back at him before playfully ruffling his hair.

She caught sight of Nicole making her way over to them and rolled her eyes dramatically, knowing full well that an insurmountable amount of PDA was about to ensue.

"I'd better give you and your new girlfriend some privacy," she remarked dryly in greeting.

"I'm heading over to Jamie's house now, talk to you later."

"Have fun," Matt called out brightly to Corrie's retreating form.

Corrie turned back one final time to smile at Matt before joining her friends. Then Matt faced Nicole, who quietly came over to him and slipped her arms around his neck.

"You know the whole school loves you now, right?" Nicole asked cleverly.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Well, what about you? Do you love me at all?" Matt asked with sudden intrigue, placing his hands around his girlfriend's waist.

"Meh, I guess you're ok. I was cheering for the other team," Nicole teased, feigning nonchalance.

"Well, fair's fair, I guess. But just so you know, I may just have to find myself another girlfriend since I'm such a big superstar," Matt teased back.

"You are so gonna pay for that," Nicole promised with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Matt didn't give Nicole a chance to exact her revenge before crashing his lips against hers. She responded enthusiastically and pushed herself even closer into his chest, her hands going to cup his cheeks. When they eventually disentangled themselves, Matt was grinning widely.

"Consider that my first instalment," he replied smoothly, a sly smirk reminiscent of his dad etched on his face.

Nicole laughed heartily at this and pulled her witty boyfriend into a warm embrace. Matt cupped the back of her head while he hugged her tightly, ignoring the rest of the crowd milling around all them, spilling onto the court as the celebrations continued.

* * *

It was raining harder than ever outside while Tasha and Gibby walked around together. They found themselves unexpectedly within the confines of the Japanese Garden located inside the Washington Park Arboretum. Both of them were soaking wet, despite Gibby's best attempts to shield Tasha's body with his cloak, which he had taken off and was currently holding above their heads. But Tasha didn't mind in the least while she told Gibby about Felix's unexpected visit to her home the day before as they strolled amongst the plush green trees and cobbled pathways.

"I'm gonna kill him," Gibby mumbled in mortification when Tasha finished telling him about Felix giving her his poem.

"Don't be mad at Felix, his heart was in the right place. I'm really glad that he came to see me and that he gave me the poem. It gave me a lot to think about," Tasha replied earnestly while stealing a look at Gibby out of the corner of her eye.

"Let me get this straight: you were actually considering giving me a shot? So why did you give me such a hard time in the gym earlier?" Gibby demanded laughingly.

"The poem touched me. But I was still undecided when you cornered me off before the game. You caught me off guard when you showed up in that stupid cape, I didn't really know what to say. It was only after you said your piece that I really started considering a 'you and me'." Tasha confessed truthfully.

"So there's a 'you and me' now?" Gibby asked hopefully, coming to a stand-still to face Tasha.

"There will be…on one condition." Tasha declared seriously.

"Which is?" Gibby asked curiously.

"You write me more poems," Tasha answered lightly, a small smile gracing her lovely face.

Gibby laughed loudly at this as he cupped Tasha's face gently in his hands.

"Well, it just so happens that I might have plenty more where that last poem came from," he admitted conspiratorially.

"Awesome! Let's go to your house right now – I want to read the rest of them!" Tasha declared with sudden spontaneity.

"In a minute. I've got something a little more pressing on my mind that I'd like to do first." Gibby replied softly.

Then he inclined his head towards Tasha's and planted a gentle and chaste kiss on her lips. Tasha responded in kind, closing her eyes and deepening the kiss while she ran her hands through Gibby's brown spiky hair. In one swift manoeuvre, Gibby managed to drape his wet cloak around the two of them as he and Tasha continued standing together in the park, kissing in the pouring rain, enclosed in their green sanctum.

* * *

After breaking nearly ever traffic rule known to the state of Washington, Freddie and Carly made it back to their home in record time. Completely rain sodden down to the bone, they parked Carly's car haphazardly in the driveway before sprinting frantically towards the backdoor. After unlocking the door, their lips collided together, letting the door bang on the hinges as they caressed each other.

_I remember when I was young_

_And so were you_

With one sweep of his hand, Freddie cleared the knife-set and the cook-books off of the kitchen counter; with the other hand, he scooped Carly up off of the floor and onto the marble surface, melding his lips to hers once more. Carly's hands wrapped around Freddie's neck and back, her legs moving around his waist as she kissed him with abandon. Freddie's hands crept through Carly's wet black tresses while his lips moved across her cheeks and temples, mumbling her name repeatedly against her clammy skin. When they finally broke apart, both Carly and Freddie were panting audibly.

_But look at how times have changed baby_

_You know why_

"Spencer?" Freddie asked curiously.

"Hanging out with Socko." Carly replied rapidly.

"The kids?" Freddie questioned just as quickly.

"Both gone till tomorrow. Corrie's sleeping over at Jamie's and Matt's hanging out with some of the guys on the team," Carly explained gently.

Before Freddie could claim Carly's lips once more, another horrifying thought occurred to him.

"Sam?" he asked worriedly, knowing full that Carly's best friend had a key to their house and would be likely to drop by unexpectedly at any time of the day.

"At an exotic meats' convention in DC," Carly responded, giggling at Freddie's anxiety.

Freddie grinned happily at this and began stroking Carly's cheek gently with his calloused finger, causing her to blush profusely.

_I can never say no_

_I can only show you how_

"Then I guess I'd better make the most of the time," he whispered seriously, his nose grazing briefly against Carly's.

_My love goes down_

_My love goes down_

_Sweep your feet right off the ground_

_I got that good love for you_

Carly didn't answer, choosing instead to pull Freddie's head back down before kissing him fiercely. She wrapped her arms tightly around Freddie's neck, clinging desperately to his wet shirt as he let her down from the table. Then it was a comical trip to the master bedroom: bumping into furniture, stumbling over their own feet, Freddie trying to carry Carly in his arms, but growing too impatient with the endeavour and taking her by the hand as they staggered over the threshold.

_I remember when I did you wrong, made you cry_

_Made you feel so sad_

_I knew I had to apologise_

Carly began tugging at Freddie's basketball shirt, pulling it over his head as her lips traced his moist skin. Freddie started unbuttoning Carly's blouse, popping a few on the way down as he peeled it impatiently away from her skin. Carly buried her face deep into Freddie's chest as her arms wrapped around his body, pulling his shorts down, panting in time to his racing heartbeat. And then Freddie was the one steering her towards the bed and pushing her down into the mattress, covering his body with hers.

_So I pulled you close baby_

_And I laid you down on the bed_

While keeping his lips attached to Carly's, Freddie's fingers traced a burning path over her shoulder blades, stopping at her bra straps as he pushed them down with edgy anticipation.

_Took of your clothes baby_

_Girl, you know the rest_

Carly's eyes were shut tight as she drank Freddie in like water touching the lips of a dehydrated man stumbling through an unforgiving desert. Her hands closed around his neck like shackles, stopping him from escaping, even if he had felt so inclined. Her tongue traced his top and bottom lip as they gave themselves over to each other for what would hopefully be the first of many occasions to come.

_My love goes down_

_My love goes down_

_Down, down_

_Sweep your feet right off the ground_

_I got that good love for you now_

_I got that real love for you now_

_

* * *

_

**Musical References:**

**1) "Always Where I Need To Be" by The Kooks**

**2) "Love Goes Down" by Plan B**

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**Author's Note: Shoo, glad that's over with! Note: The Castle of Ganakinesh is from 'Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers' if I'm not mistaken. For anyone who's watched the film, my story's not quite done yet. This would've been the ideal place to end it, but I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve where Creddie's concerned ; ) Now I really do need to go make the chocolate mousse - 6 hours to go before it's Christmas my side. I hope you all have a fabulous Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year's! Cheerio!  
**


	16. The Aftermath

**Author's Note: Hey, everyone! Happy 2011 to all of you out there in the big wide world! I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and New Year's celebrations with your family and friends. I spent my New Year's at the cinema yesterday, catching a double-feature of "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" and "Tron 3D", which were both awesome : ) A big thank you to the following people for reviewing chapter 15 last week:**

**baronvonmilo, TooPiAr, Carl Rahl, Fanfic-Reader-88, damnreality, sockstar, ItWasByMe97, RemDiamond, aisforangelaaa and The Earl Of Sandwich. You guys and everyone else who reviews my stories keep me motivated and writing, you guys are the best.**

**This is a relatively short chapter, but packed to the brim with Creddie. Happy reading : )**

**Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly or 17 Again or the varying characters and settings.  
**

* * *

The flickering of pink and orange fluttered against Carly's heavy lids before they eventually opened of their own accord. And when they did, it still took Carly over a minute to figure out what had happened and where she was.

She rubbed at her tired eyes and assessed her surroundings carefully. This appeared to be hers and Freddie's bedroom, although it looked untidier than usual. All of the bed's throw pillows lay scattered on the floor along with several items of clothing strewn across the wooden tiles. Carly frowned in confusion when her eyes stayed on what appeared to be a basketball uniform, which lay at the foot of the bed.

That's when the memories of the day before came rushing back as clearly as if it had just happened a moment ago. A part of Carly was still confused as to how she and Freddie had come full-circle so dramatically in the space of 24 hours. But then she remembered when they had gotten home from Ridgeway and her confusion was replaced with dazed euphoria.

It had been incredible.

Freddie had been incredible.

But it wasn't merely the act itself or even the several occurrences of that same act which transpired soon afterwards that had brought Carly to her peak more than once. It had been Freddie himself. And it ranged from everything he had done, from the way he had held her close all the while: dragging his fingers through her hair as if in a trance.

Freddie had worshipped her body with every inch of his own. The first time, it had begun with simple desire encased in a maddened frenzy of limbs locked together in the throes of ecstasy. But somewhere in the middle of it all, Freddie had simply stopped and just stared at Carly for the longest time, like he was staring right down into her soul.

And then the simple caresses had begun: his lips brushing lovingly against every portion of her skin, clammy from sweat and rain. Carly remembered trembling with nervousness and pleasure when Freddie's fingertips had glided along her inner thighs, as if this was all completely new to him and her. But in some ways, it had been a first for both of them. They hadn't looked and held each other like that in a long time. And when Carly had finally gone over the edge, she had never felt closer to Freddie in her life than in that particular moment.

The lingering memories brought a smile to Carly's face. But then she glanced around the room again and realised that she was completely alone. For a moment, she toyed with the idea that it had all been an elaborate dream, from the moment that Freddie had stopped her from leaving the gym yesterday. But it couldn't have been. The emotions she was feeling right now were far too intense to be anything but reality.

But where was Freddie?

With a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach, Carly toyed with the idea that he might've had second thoughts about wanting to be with her again and left while she had been asleep. A lump began bubbling in Carly's throat as all the misery and confusion she had been feeling lately threatened to rise to the surface. But she forced it back down just as quickly. Even if Freddie had made a mistake, she wasn't going to let the matter drop that easily. Whatever happened after this, Carly knew that she wanted some answers and that she and Freddie needed to have a long conversation about everything that had happened between them lately.

But the dull throb in her head reminded her that she wouldn't be able to do anything rational without first having a strong cup of coffee.

Carly got out of bed and covered her naked torso with a white silken gown with pink flowers embroidered on it that the kids had given her for Mother's Day years ago. She padded out of the bedroom en route to the kitchen, her bare feet making no sound against the wooden floors. Her abstract thoughts almost stopped her from hearing the evident commotion in the kitchen.

Carly heard a clutter of plates on the marble countertop and someone cursing under their breath before water from the faucet began hitting the metal sink below it with a metallic drone. She stepped over the threshold and came across Freddie running his finger underneath the cold water faucet in the kitchen with his back to her. He was wearing an old pair of grey sweat pants and a faded white short-sleeved vest. He too was barefoot. From this vantage point, Carly could see that Freddie's short brown hair was still tousled from their activities the night before. A sly grin crept on her face at the thought before abruptly pulling herself back to the present moment.

"Freddie?" Carly asked in confusion, stepping closer.

Freddie whipped around sharply on the balls of his feet, not having heard Carly's quiet entrance. He quickly shut off the kitchen faucet and hastily grabbed a dish cloth to dry his finger with. Then his eyes travelled over Carly's voluptuous form and the silken gown which clung to her body and traced every curve and line with careful perfection.

It took him another second before he finally looked over the rest of Carly's appearance. Her brown eyes were puffy and she looked tired; her rain-sodden hair from the previous day had finally dried into a wavy clump. But she still looked as impossibly beautiful as the first day that Freddie had laid eyes on her. He couldn't stop his eyes from just feasting on all of her for a few seconds.

"Hey, you're awake." He greeted with a small smile on his face.

"Yeah, I am. What's going on? I heard noises." Carly offered simply.

"Oh. I burnt my finger taking the pan off of the stove. I made some scrambled eggs," Freddie explained quickly with a gesture of his eyes.

Carly followed his gaze and saw two plates with scrambled eggs, bacon and toast on them along with two mugs of steaming coffee sitting atop the kitchen counter. She turned back to face Freddie with astonishment flickering in her eyes.

"You made breakfast?" she asked slowly.

"Well, yeah. I first started putting the dishes in the sink into the dishwasher. Then I thought you might be hungry afterwards, so I started cooking. I was gonna bring it into the room before you woke up. I'm sorry about all of the noise." Freddie apologised meekly, looking a little crestfallen.

"No, that's ok. You didn't wake me. I woke up on my own and came to see if…everything was alright in the house." Carly offered cautiously, changing her mind mid-way on what she had meant to initially say.

"So…do you want to eat this food in the bedroom? I don't want it to get cold." Freddie stated awkwardly after a few seconds of silence.

"Actually, I was hoping we could talk first. Do you mind if we go sit out on the patio?" Carly asked carefully.

"Sure." Freddie replied slowly.

Carly nodded and began walking ahead. She opened up the sliding doors, folding her arms across her chest and shivering slightly from the early morning breeze which drifted along the wooden porch. Freddie came up behind her a few seconds later with a tray in his arms laden with their breakfast plates and coffee mugs. Then he placed it gingerly down onto the patio table before moving towards the newly constructed hammock.

To Carly's surprise, Freddie bent over and pulled the hammock by its two front legs along the deck till it stood right behind Carly. Then after gesturing to her to sit, he placed the breakfast tray beside her on the hammock and grabbed another chair a few centimetres away, placing it just in front of Carly. Then he sat down in turn, sitting so close to Carly that their knees were touching.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Freddie asked in a decidedly calm voice.

Carly bowed her head ever so slightly before beginning.

"About everything. I guess I just need to know what yesterday was…what 'this' is…" she trailed off slowly, gesturing between her and Freddie.

"Well…I meant what I said yesterday, at the gym and afterwards. I wanna be with you again, Carly. I know I've made some mistakes in the past, but I wanna try and make it up to you as best as I can from here on out." Freddie declared sincerely.

"I want to believe that you're being sincere, Freddie." Carly stated in a small voice.

"What's stopping you?" Freddie questioned seriously.

"I don't know. I guess it's this whole situation, Freddie. It's just so strange, I'm not sure that I really understand it." Carly confessed awkwardly.

"To be honest, it's a little weird for me too, Carly. Something like this has never happened to me before," Freddie admitted softly.

"Maybe it might help if you told me more about it. What you know about what happened at least," Carly offered sensibly.

Freddie regarded Carly intently for a moment, trying to think of where to start.

"Well, if I'm gonna tell you what happened when I 'transformed', I guess I have to go back to two months ago, when I dropped Corrie and Matt here after school and you and I got into that big fight." Freddie began uncomfortably.

A knot formed in Carly's stomach at the mention of that fight. No matter how hard she had tried, she hadn't been able to shake the unpleasant memories of that day from her mind ever since.

"It was a bad day on the whole. The kids were mad at me because of everything that had happened between the two of us. I quit my job…"

"Wait, you quit your job? Freddie, why didn't you tell me?" Carly intercepted in alarm.

"With everything that's happened lately, it genuinely slipped my mind. I really wanted that promotion. But when I think back on it, I'm glad that I don't work there anymore. I was never really passionate about pharmaceutical products and stuff. I blamed everything else around me just because I wasn't happy with where I wanted to be in my life. But it was me holding myself back the entire time, all because I was afraid to take a risk on something I really cared about. It's kind of a hard pill to swallow." Freddie explained pensively.

"I can imagine," Carly remarked softly.

"I'm sorry, I interrupted what you were saying before. What happened after you left the house…after we fought?" she asked tentatively, steering the conversation back to its original point.

"I was a mess after that conversation. I knew right then and there I messed up badly with our marriage, but it was too late to take it back. The storm had already hit when I got back into my car and I started driving back towards Gibby's. And then something happened when I got to the bridge. I was fiddling with the radio because the frequency was all messed up and I saw this man standing on the edge of the railing across. He looked like he was about to jump."

"Oh my God! What happened?"

"Well, this is the weird part. I recognised him from afar. It was this old man that I had been speaking to at Ridgeway during the day, when I was waiting for Corrie and Matt to get out of class. This was right after I packed up my belongings at work."

"Wait, so this man you saw at the bridge…he was at the school too?" Carly questioned in alarm.

"Yeah, he was. I thought he was the janitor because he had a mop and he just looked the part. I was standing near the trophy case in the hallway near our old lockers, just feeling nostalgic about the good old days. And he started talking to me, asking me questions like whether if I could have a 'do-over', would I want it? I said of course without really thinking about it. And when I saw him standing on the bridge that night, looking like he was about to jump, his words came screaming back to me…" Freddie trailed off, his mind's eye taking him back to the night in question.

Carly involuntarily cupped her mouth with her hand while she listened to Freddie's story. But she didn't interrupt this time, only anxious to hear more.

"I thought he was gonna jump, so I got out of the car and started calling out to him. He looked right at me, Carly, and he smiled, like he was having fun up there. At the exact moment, a bus drove past me on the road, blocking me from seeing the old man. And when it passed, I looked at the railing and saw that the old man had disappeared. I panicked and I started running like crazy to get to him. I'm not even sure what I had in mind to do; all I knew for certain was that I had to get to the edge of the bridge and peer over to see if he had fallen in the water."

"The storm was really crazy at this point. There was rain pouring down all around me and the water below the bridge was swirling around like a giant whirlpool. And while I was looking for any sign of the old man, that's when I saw another face in the water. It was a young teenage boy and he had his hand up like he was waving at me. When I think about it now, I realise that it was my own face that I was looking at, but from back when I was 17. It was like I was staring into a giant mirror of the kid I used to be."

"I don't think I meant to lean further over the railing. But I guess I did, and the next minute, I'm falling down into the river below me. The water closed all around me and I thought I was gonna drown. But somehow, I managed to get above the surface and start swimming to shore. I must've collapsed onto the shallow bank and passed out, because when I finally came to a few hours later, the sun was already rising. I managed to drag myself to the car and somehow I made it back to Gibby's in one piece. The only thing on my mind at that point was to take a hot shower because I was freezing and my clothes were caked in mud. I got into the shower with my clothes on and started siphoning off as much of the dirt as I could. I only noticed my 'transformation' when I got out of the shower and looked into the bathroom mirror. I thought I was having a nightmare or a heart attack or both, because I started screaming like crazy. Naturally, that woke Gibby up and he tried to attack me-"

"Gibby attacked you?" Carly exclaimed in horror.

"Tried to. He thought I was an intruder because he didn't recognise me at first. He stopped freaking out after he caught sight of a picture of the two of us on graduation day taken outside Ridgeway. That's when he finally calmed down and the two of us sat down together trying to figure out what had happened to me." Freddie continued patiently.

"So Gibby's known from the start?" Carly asked curiously.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I couldn't have enrolled into Ridgeway if he hadn't agreed to be my fake dad. I owe Gibby a lot for these past two months for having my back throughout all this craziness." Freddie mused sincerely while he thought warmly about his best friend.

"So you didn't leave town at all then? You were here the entire time, at Ridgeway." Carly surmised shrewdly.

"I'm sorry I lied to you about that, and about missing that appointment with the lawyer's. I think it would've been a dead giveaway if I had showed up at that meeting as 'Felix'. I needed time to figure out what I was going to do and how I was going to change back. That's when I decided to enrol into Ridgeway." Freddie replied meekly.

"You did that to be close to the kids?" Carly questioned seriously.

"Not at first. Gibby told me that a lot of his comic books said that most people undergo a dramatic transformation like mine because there's some kind of life lesson that they need to learn, and they can only change back once they've learned the lesson and passed the test given to them by their mentor, or a 'spirit guide'. When it first happened, I thought that I was given a do-over so I could go back to high school to try for a basketball scholarship, like I would've done before you told me you were pregnant all those years ago. But that changed when I befriended Matt at school and found out he was being bullied." Freddie replied morosely.

Carly's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at this announcement.

"Matt was being bullied? By whom?" she demanded hotly.

"Reed and the other jocks on the basketball team. But it was mostly Reed." Freddie answered gravely.

"That ass-hat! And Corrie dated him too! Oh my God, how could she date someone who was bullying her own brother?" Carly demanded angrily.

Then to Freddie's surprise, she suddenly changed tact and slapped a hand to her forehead.

"Oh my God, how could _I _not have known? I'm Matt's mom." Carly lamented mournfully.

"Carly, this isn't your fault," Freddie chided softly, rubbing her knee reassuringly.

"Yes it is. I've been so wrapped in everything happening to me these past few months like the pending divorce that I haven't been paying any attention to Corrie and Matt. They were my responsibility and I dropped the ball," Carly responded sadly.

"Listen to me, Carly. You're not to blame for what happened. You weren't the one who dropped the ball here, I am. If I hadn't messed up with you and the kids, if I'd been around these past few months, I could've been there for Matt like I was supposed to. Everything's better now, I promise. Matt's on the basketball team and those guys on the team are treating him better. I suspect that they were only mean to him before because of Reed's influence. I think they finally see what a great kid he is." Freddie explained reasonably.

"You think so?" Carly asked softly, daring to look Freddie in the eye.

"Yeah, I do. I've spent enough time in the locker-room with those guys to know that they like our son. Matt's a lot happier and more settled at school now. And he has Nicole too, and she seems like a nice girl." Freddie stated with a reassuring smile.

Carly smiled at this, feeling most of her anxiety dissipating as she prepared to hear more of Freddie's story.

"So what happened after you found out about Reed bullying Matt?"

"I went to pieces, kind of like you did a few seconds ago. I couldn't believe Reed's audacity to pick on my boy. I wanted to protect Matt. Things came to a head one day in the cafeteria and I went out of my way to humiliate Reed in front of the whole school. After that day in the cafeteria, I didn't want to be at high school just doing things for myself, I wanted to be there for Matt and Corrie, the way a dad is for their kids. From that day onwards, Matt and I were inseparable. I got to know our son, Carly. He's really opened up to me these past few months in a way he wouldn't have otherwise done if it were me, his dad. He treated me like a friend, Carly; someone he trusted with everything he had. And that meant everything to me. It was a lot harder trying to get close to Corrie because of Reed and because it was obvious that she was on the defensive because she was hurting over our pending divorce. But I did what I could to keep an eye on her and make sure that she was alright while I stuck close to Matt at school."

"Corrie really didn't like you at first. But after Reed broke up with her, she mentioned how sweet you'd been to her on the day you invited her to your party at Gibby's house. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought that our daughter had a crush on you…" Carly trailed off with a scintillating giggle.

Freddie laughed in return, albeit slightly more nervously and high-pitched. This didn't go unnoticed by Carly at all while she regarded Freddie with a raised eyebrow.

"Freddie…did something happen with Corrie?" Carly pressed suspiciously.

"Define 'happen'," Freddie declared hurriedly, playing for time.

"Freddie." Carly remonstrated in a stern voice.

"Nothing happened, I swear. But at Gibby's party, I got into a fight with Reed before you came looking for Matt. He kinda knocked me out cold and Corrie brought me back to my own bedroom to lay me down. Then she started talking to me about how she figured out why I didn't like Reed – she thought it was because I liked her. And maybe it was because I'd been nice and concerned after Reed broke up with her that Corrie thought she liked me on any level. But it was perfectly innocent, I promise you. I made it perfectly clear that we could never be together and that I was in love with somebody else. You have to believe me," Freddie explained vehemently.

He knew that telling Carly anything about what had transpired between him and Corrie was probably the stupidest thing he could possibly do. But if they were gonna try again with their marriage, he didn't want to lie to her about anything, even something as disturbing as this.

"You really told Corrie that you were in love with somebody else? What exactly did you say?" Carly questioned softly, the curiosity picking away at her.

"Well, I don't remember my exact words. But I basically told Corrie that I've been in love with the same girl ever since I was 17 years old." Freddie explained sincerely while staring deeply into Carly's eyes.

Carly's literally jumped in her chest at Freddie's words. She had wanted to hear him say those words all along, just like he used to when they were younger. And now that he had finally said, it still managed to take her completely by surprise.

"You still love me, Freddie? After everything we've been through?" Carly asked in a small voice.

Freddie wordlessly reached for Carly's hands and held them gently in his own.

"Of course I do, Carly. I never stopped loving you. I've made a lot of mistakes lately and done a lot of things in the past that I regret so much. But I never could and never will regret you, Carly. Anything I say or do, anything I ever accomplish in my life, it's absolutely nothing without you. The only thing I can honestly take any pride in is that you chose me and gave me so much more than I could've ever hoped for, like our kids. I know it's not gonna be easy to gain your trust back after everything I've done. But I want you to know that I'm gonna try my hardest to make this right." Freddie stated seriously.

Several tears slipped from Carly's eyes, which Freddie hastily reached towards to wipe away with his thumbs.

"You shouldn't have to take responsibility for everything that went wrong between us, Freddie. I'm also to blame, I've been so stubborn these past few months. I only wanted to see how you've hurt me and not how I haven't been there for you either. I still love you so much," Carly declared vehemently.

A shuddering chuckle escaped Freddie's throat, his hands moving to Carly's face to cup her cheeks.

"You have no idea how good it is to hear you say that to me after all this time," he murmured softly.

He was leaning in closer than ever so their noses were grazing. He began tracing her cheeks with his fingertips before leaning in and kissing her softly. Carly closed her eyes at the contact and tilted her head to meet his every kiss, their lips moving together feverishly. Freddie's hands moved towards Carly's knees as he leant in more, the two of them sitting together and kissing in the stillness of the morning on the porch. When they finally broke apart, the two of them were smiling intimately at one another. Carly blushed when Freddie continued stroking her cheek with light touches.

"Now how 'bout some breakfast?" he asked gently with a furtive look at the breakfast tray beside Carly.

Carly looked down at the tray before looking up at Freddie and nodding. The rest of the time after that was mostly spent in silence. Carly giggled a few times when Freddie kept insisting on feeding her some of his toast with his fingers. As they finished drinking their coffee, Carly frowned when Freddie began smirking ever so slightly.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing," Freddie answered quickly, but continued smiling.

"Come on, tell me." Carly begged.

"I was just wondering…what you thought about 'Felix' on the whole." Freddie stated mischievously.

Carly's breath caught in her throat and she sincerely hoped that Freddie hadn't noticed how flushed she had become at the mention of the teenage boy who had invaded her dreams lately.

"I thought that Felix was…nice." Carly offered lamely.

"Just 'nice'?" Freddie asked in confusion.

"Well, he was Matt's best friend. What else was I supposed to think about him?" Carly asked somewhat defensively.

"I don't know, I guess I was just curious about whether you saw any of me in him," Freddie noted quietly.

"Are you done with your plate and mug? I'm gonna put these in the dishwasher," Carly announced abruptly.

She was suddenly on her feet and taking the tray off of the hammock before strolling rapidly through the sliding doors and into the kitchen. Freddie smirked to himself as he began following her.

"I knew it!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

"Knew what?" Carly questioned, feigning distraction.

"You liked Felix!" Felix pointed out victoriously.

"What's not to like? He was an All-American teenage boy: charming and sweet." Carly noted in somewhat of a huff.

"You had a crush on Felix."

"Did not!" Carly fumed indignantly while opening the dishwasher door with a loud thump.

Freddie instantly regretted annoying Carly when she began putting in the dishes into the various slots.

"Carls, are you mad at me?" Freddie asked in concern, coming behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders.

"I didn't mean to upset you; I shouldn't have pried," he added uncomfortably.

"No, it's not that, Freddie. I'm not mad. I'm just embarrassed." Carly answered truthfully after closing the dishwasher and turning to face Freddie.

Embarassed? What do you have to be embarrassed about?"

"Because…I'm a grown woman who may or may not have had a tiny crush on her son's best friend, who was a teenage boy. And that was only because he reminded me so much of you on top of everything. It's not the easiest thing in the world to admit to."

"I can understand that. Personally, I think it's kinda hot that you had a crush on a younger guy." Freddie declared seedily.

"Only because it was you!" Carly exclaimed exasperatedly.

"True. But if it was really as bad as you say it was, I really have to admire you for keeping me at a safe distance each time, especially on those occasions when I was trying to get a reaction out of you."

"You didn't exactly make it easy on me. I had to keep reminding myself that I was the adult in the situation, therefore I had to act responsibly. Anything I was feeling had to be put to the side…"

"Well, I can safely say that you don't have to pretend anymore. Felix isn't here right now, it's just me." Freddie replied softly, stepping even closer to Carly till he was leaning over her lithe frame.

"You're right, it's just you, Freddie. And you're all I'll ever want." Carly declared seriously, her eyes boring into Freddie's.

She got on her tiptoes just as Freddie bent forward at the same time, their lips crashing together for what seemed like the hundredth time. Carly was fully convinced now: the boy of her dreams was nothing compared to the man that Freddie had grown up to be. She knew that they still had a long way to go. But for the first time ever, Carly was actually hopeful about the future. Not just for their marriage, but for their family too.

When they eventually broke apart, Carly was panting and her cheeks were flushed with pleasure.

"I had dreams about Felix," she confessed heatedly.

"Really?" Freddie asked in intrigue.

"Most of them started in the kitchen and always ended up…somewhere else in the house." Carly continued with a pointed smirk on her face.

"Uh huh," Freddie noted, feigning pensiveness.

Then he surprised Carly by hoisting her up onto the kitchen counter, much like the day before.

"Did he ever put you up here in your dreams?" Freddie asked softly.

"All the time," Carly replied without blinking.

Freddie grinned at this and began kissing Carly passionately, his tongue slipping in and tasting the inside of her exquisite mouth.

"Did he ever tickle you in your dreams?" he asked playfully, his mouth a few millimetres away from Carly's ear.

Before Carly could answer, Freddie's fingertips danced across her waist and thighs while he began tickling her mercilessly. Carly tried her hardest to fight Freddie off, but she was laughing too hard till unshed tears began forming in her eyes.

"F-F-Freddie…"

"Did he?"

"Freddie, c-cut it o-ha ha…"

They would've continued on in this fashion for several minutes if not for the sound of two voices suddenly breaking into their playful endeavours.

"Mom?"

"_Dad?" _

Carly and Freddie stopped their shenanigans and stared in alarm in front of them. Standing at the entrance to the kitchen were none other than Corrie and Matt, staring back at them in horror.

* * *

**Author's Note: Ain't I a stinker? The kids will be back next chapter for a full-on exploration of this extremely strange tale ; ) I hope this chapter was ok, I'm not good with very serious conversations even in reality, so it's a lot harder to infuse the right kind of emotion into that of a married couple in Carly and Freddie's particular situation : S To anyone who was expecting a recap of the lemon last chapter, I'm sorry if I've disappointed you. This is a T-rated story, so my first priority is to the kiddies out there reading this, hope you understand ; ) There are about two more chapters after this before I hopefully wrap up this story, thanks for reading. Till next week, I bid you adieu. Snapplelinz out!**


	17. The Concession

**Author's Note: Hey, everybody! I hope none of you are still hung over from last week's seasonal festivities ; ) I'm sober, but exceptionally tired because I've been sleeping at all the wrong hours this week. And I've been exceptionally lazy this week, so it took me extra long to write this chapter. So I apologise if this new update isn't up to my usual standards of brilliance. That was a joke by the way ; ) This is a long-ass chapter too, so hopefully I sorted out the various kinks afforded by this story in this particular chapter. You'll all be better judges of that, enjoy : )**

**Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly or 17 Again. Or the concept of transformation into a teenage boy. But damn, that would be way cool : )  
**

* * *

Outside the house, the sound of crickets chirping away merrily filtered through the backyard and flittered amongst the lushly green trees. But inside the house, all four members of the Benson family remained silent, regarding each other with a mixture of amazement, confusion and apprehension as they stood together in the kitchen.

"Hey, kids." Carly greeted weakly with a lame wave of her hand, realising instantly how stupid she sounded.

"You guys are back early," she noted in a small voice.

"Yeah, um. Alex gave me a ride home," Matt replied awkwardly.

"And Jamie dropped me off – wait a minute! What's going on here?" Corrie demanded incredulously, staring between Freddie and Carly with alarm in her brown eyes.

Freddie and Carly gazed at one another blankly before turning to face the kids again.

"Well, the thing is…"

"Your Mom and I were just…"

"We were just about to…"

"It's a really funny story actually-"

"Are you guys getting back together?" Matt asked in surprise, staring between his parents and their scantily clad bodies in astonishment.

For the first time since their untimely intrusion, Carly locked eyes with her son, a look of determination etched on her face.

"Yes, Matt. Your Dad and I are actually back together." She confirmed truthfully.

"_Since when?" _Corrie demanded loudly.

"Since yesterday's game," Freddie offered knowingly.

"That's why you left yesterday? The two of you went off somewhere?" Corrie questioned suspiciously, staring between her parents, her eyes focused on Carly.

"Wait, you weren't at the game yesterday?" Matt asked slowly, staring in confusion at Carly.

"I was there for the start of the game with Corrie, honey. But then I left a few minutes later…with your Dad." Carly answered self-consciously.

"You left with Dad? But Dad wasn't even in the gym yesterday. Did you meet up somewhere?" Matt asked in confusion.

"I was at the school yesterday, Matt. I, uh…didn't quite make into the gym. But I caught up with your Mom as she was about to leave. And that's when we came back to the house…to talk." Freddie offered lamely.

"But the two of you have been fighting like crazy these past few months. I don't understand," Corrie protested vehemently, looking even paler than the start of the conversation.

Freddie stepped a fraction closer to his children as he tried his best to choose his next words very carefully.

"Corrie, I know this is a lot to take in and I'm sure you and your brother are very confused right now. But I want you to know how sorry I am about everything I've done lately. I know I haven't been the best husband or the best dad in a long time. I love you and Matt so much. And I love your mom with my whole heart. All I want is the opportunity to make things right again between the four us." Freddie declared earnestly.

"Oh really? And what brought on this startling revelation? Where is this even coming from all of a sudden? Where have you been for the past two months, Dad? Let me guess: you found God on a bus?" Corrie sneered derisively.

"That's enough, Corrie! Don't you dare speak to your Dad like that!" Carly exploded furiously, rounding on her teenage daughter.

"Carly, it's ok-" Freddie chided soothingly, but to no avail.

"No, it's not ok, Freddie! Corrie, you and I are gonna have a talk outside right now!" Carly fumed angrily.

"Forget it, Mom! A Mother-daughter chat in the backyard is not gonna convince me that everything is hunky-dory between you and Dad again!" Corrie shot back vehemently.

Matt hadn't said anything in a few minutes, but stood staring between his parents and his sister with wide eyes.

"Carly! Corrie! Just stop! This isn't working!" Freddie interjected loudly to stop them from fighting even more.

Both Carly and Corrie, who were poised to exchange more angry words, stopped short and stared at Freddie in confusion. He took a deep breath to steady his racing heart, the pulse points on his hands and neck vibrating like crazy beneath his skin.

"Corrie's right, Carly. It's not fair to ask her and Matt to accept that we're back together without some kind of explanation." Freddie offered more calmly after a few seconds.

"And we will give them an explanation, Freddie. As soon as everybody has calmed down sufficiently without jumping to any conclusions," Carly responded evenly, her face no longer flushed with anger.

"We can't wait till later, we have to talk about this right now. Carly, we have to tell them." Freddie stated seriously.

He shot Carly a meaningful look, causing Carly to gape in amazement at what he was suggesting.

"Freddie-"

"It's ok, Carly. I want to be completely honest. The kids deserve to know the truth about where I've been for the past two months…and about Felix." Freddie replied soberly.

Matt's ears pricked up at this.

"Felix? What does Felix have to do with this?" he asked sharply of his father.

"He has everything to do with this, Matt. And if you and Corrie let me, I'll try to explain it as best as I can." Freddie responded patiently.

Carly stepped towards Freddie and rested a comforting hand on his arm.

"Freddie, are you sure you want to do this?" she asked softly of him.

Freddie stared back down at Carly for a few seconds, getting lost in the depth of her love for him swimming around in her eyes like dancing amber flames. He knew that he was taking a huge gamble by clueing the kids in on the secret about his latest transformation and 'Felix'. But he didn't want to lie to them and lose their trust for good. He'd already experienced that with Carly first hand over the past few years and didn't want his children to end up resenting him in the long run.

"I'm sure. It's the right thing to do," he replied softly, a small smile dancing on his lips while he studied her face for a long while.

"What's the right thing to do? What's going on?" Corrie thundered impatiently.

"Corrie, you thought I went after your Mom yesterday when she left during the game, which I did. But do you also remember Felix Gibson leaving the game too around the same time?" Freddie prodded gently, turning his attention to his daughter momentarily.

"Of course I remember Felix leaving! He freakin' took off during the game and sprinted out of the gym! What does that have to do with anything?" Corrie demanded exasperatedly.

"It has everything to do with what happened between me and your Dad yesterday, Corrie." Carly stated seriously.

"I was upset at the start of the game, that's why I left so abruptly. And if you remember, Felix left the gym right after I did." She added softly, wanting to lead Corrie's thoughts in the right direction without actually saying the words herself.

But it wasn't Corrie who guessed at the truth first, it was Matt.

"Felix came after you," He surmised shrewdly.

Carly made no response, but simply nodded at her son.

"But why? Did he want to talk to you?" Matt asked carefully.

"He did. He managed to catch up to me before I left," Carly explained quickly.

"Did he tell you that he has a crush on you?" Matt questioned cautiously.

"How did you know about that?" Carly asked in surprise.

"He sort of told me about it two days ago. He asked me to meet him at the basketball courts outside school; he wanted to apologise about what went down at Uncle Gibby's house the other night." Matt explained nonchalantly.

"He did?" Carly questioned in awe, turning to catch Freddie's eye.

"Yeah, he did. He wanted to clear the air and make amends, I guess." Matt replied with a non-committal shrug.

"I take it that Felix mentioned to you that he wanted to leave town right after graduation? Make a clean break, start off new somewhere else?" Freddie prodded suddenly.

"Yeah, he did. Wait, how do you know about that?" Matt demanded sharply.

"Corrie, Matt. There's something you need to know about Felix Gibson," Freddie started in a would-be calm voice.

"There is no Felix Gibson, he doesn't exist. Uncle Gibby doesn't have a bastard son from some woman that he knocked up."

"Dad, what are you talking about? Of course there's a 'Felix Gibson'! He goes to Ridgeway High! He plays on the basketball team! He stays with Uncle Gibby! He threw a freakin' victory party at Uncle Gibby's house!" Matt shot back impatiently.

"I know this is hard to believe. But Felix Gibson doesn't exist." Freddie responded patiently.

"Ok, if he doesn't exist, then who have I been hanging out with for the past two months, Dad? Who helped me get onto the basketball team in the first place? Who helped me get a shot with Nicole? 'Cause if Felix didn't do any of those things, then who did?" Matt demanded heatedly.

Freddie regarded his son with a weary countenance before answering.

"It was me, Matt."

"I'm Felix Gibson."

* * *

Gibby and Tasha were over at his place, reclining leisurely on his brown leather sofa. After sharing a sumptuous breakfast together, they began watching "The Breakfast Club" together. Gibby had his arm draped around Tasha's shoulder while she sat snuggled against his chest, a bowl of popcorn resting comfortably on her lap, the two of them completely engrossed in the film.

"Seriously, this movie has to be regarded as one of the best teen flicks ever." Tasha noted seriously in-between chomping on a piece of popcorn.

"Tell me about it. This film got me through some dark days," Gibby mused pensively.

"Yeah? Did you have to suffer through a couple of wedgie bounces? That kind of thing was really popular back at my old school," Tasha remarked sympathetically.

"Nah, nothing as extreme as that. Just your run of the mill Indian wedgies, trash-can wedgies and nearly being forced into a bikini to eat dog food and wrestle other guys," Gibby offered nonchalantly.

"Um, ok. If that's run of the mill for you, then I'm glad I didn't go to your school," Tasha reflected laughingly.

"Yip, I had some pretty crazy times at Ridgeway back in the day. But they weren't all bad, just mostly interesting. It was high school and being a teenager, I guess." Gibby replied simply.

"Speaking of teenagers, I haven't seen Felix around all day. Is he upstairs in his bedroom?" Tasha questioned curiously.

"He's not at home." Gibby offered quietly.

Something in Gibby's tone made Tasha feel uneasy. She lifted up her head from his chest to stare at him with unabashed curiosity.

"Where is he? Is he hanging out with Matt or one of the other boys on the basketball team?" she asked carefully.

"Uh no, he isn't." Gibby replied slowly.

After another second of speculation, he continued.

"He's gone home." He added carefully.

"What are you talking about? This is his home." Tasha stated doggedly.

"I meant back home to Connecticut." Gibby amended softly.

"He's gone back to live with his mom?" Tasha demanded in awe, leaning back ever so slightly to stare at Gibby in confusion.

"Yeah, he has."

"When did he leave?"

"Uh, yesterday."

Gibby grew confused when Tasha continued goggling at him in astonishment.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" he asked curiously.

"Gibby, how can you be so calm about this?"

"What do you mean, Tasha?"

"I mean…your son left Seattle! It's not even the end of the semester! Graduation's in a few weeks' time!" Tasha exclaimed anxiously.

"He didn't want to stay." Gibby replied slowly.

"Why not? I thought the two of you were getting along. He's only been here for a few months. I thought he came to live with you so that you could bond with him." Tasha declared seriously.

"He did, and we have. Felix didn't leave because we had a fight or anything. I didn't want him to leave; it was his decision." Gibby replied earnestly.

That part of the entire debacle was actually true. Gibby had been rudely woken up around 6am that morning from a vivid dream involving 'Principal Goodvibes' by a phone call from Freddie. Naturally, Gibby had been worried when he had returned home the day before and found that Freddie wasn't at home after one of Ridgeway's staff members told Tasha that Felix had left in the middle of the basketball game.

Freddie called Gibby to reassure him that everything was fine and to tell him that he had spent the night at his old home with Carly. Gibby was over the moon for his two best friends, who sounded like they were well on their way to giving their marriage another try. But as for right now, he wasn't doing nearly a good enough job of convincing his new girlfriend that he was sad to see his 'fake son' leave so abruptly.

"But why?" Tasha pressed impatiently.

"It was just…time." Gibby replied lamely.

"_It was just time?" _Tasha countered in disbelief.

"Don't you even care that he's gone?" she demanded incredulously.

"Of course I care that he's gone, Tasha. I'm gonna miss him a lot. But come on, it's not like he was stay here while he went away to college. He was gonna leave no matter what, whether it was yesterday or a month from now."

"That's not the point. I um…I have to go."

Now it was Gibby's turn to be astonished when Tasha got up abruptly from the sofa and out of his arms and began looking for her jacket.

"Tasha! Where are you going?"

"I'm going home."

"What? Why?"

"Because I just can't be around you right now, Gibby." Tasha responded in a shaky voice.

"Why? Have I upset you or something?" Gibby asked in confusion.

"Yes, Gibby. You have," Tasha retorted hotly while putting her hands through the sleeves on her trench coat.

"What did I do?"

"Your son just left home and you've barely blinked about it."

"What did you want me to do, Tasha? What was I supposed to do? Lock him up in his bedroom till the end of the school year? Felix wanted to go back home, it was his choice. Why don't you tell me what's really bothering you?" Gibby questioned vehemently.

"I just think you're being awfully cavalier about all the important variables in this situation. High school is an important stage in Felix's life." Tasha persisted passionately.

"Tasha, this isn't a big deal, trust me. He'll back in Seattle in a few weeks' time for graduation, whatever."

"_Whatever?_ What about finals?"

"Come on, it's not a big deal. He's a smart kid. We'll figure something out."

"You're right, it doesn't sound like a big deal at all. Just a done deal," Tasha spat disdainfully as she grabbed her purse savagely.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gibby demanded heatedly.

"Nothing, just forget about it," Tasha responded shortly as she opened the front door.

It took Gibby another two seconds before realising just exactly what was happening in that moment. Tasha really cared about Felix's well-being and the fact that he looked like he didn't care that much about his 'fake son' had hurt her. And now it looked like she was about to break up with him because of it.

"Tasha, wait!" Gibby called out, running through the front door after her.

Tasha was just opening up the door to her car standing in the driveway when Gibby finally caught up with her.

"Look, I'm sorry. That totally came out all wrong with Felix," Gibby stated hurriedly while trying to catch his breath.

"Just wait a second, please." He added pleadingly.

"I can't, Gibby, I have to go." Tasha replied slowly as she got into her car and sat in the driver's seat.

"Tasha, wait! I'm sorry, I messed up. Just tell me what to do to fix this," Gibby pleaded earnestly.

"There's nothing you can do to fix this. We've barely started dating, Gibby, and I already feel like you're keeping secrets from me. Why did Felix really leave?" Tasha asked painstakingly.

Gibby sighed loudly before answering.

"I can't tell you why," he replied wearily.

Tasha nodded and began fastening her seat-belt around her shoulder and stomach.

"Tasha," Gibby begged sadly.

"There's nothing more to say, Gibby. I thought you were different from all the other guys I've ever dated, who turned out to be jerks. I thought you were sweet, sensitive, smart and independent. But mostly, I loved the fact that you were so close to your son – a boy that you've only recently gotten to know, a boy whose well-being I happen to care about. I thought you felt the same way, but I guess you don't." Tasha replied dejectedly.

"That's not true at all. Tasha, listen to me, I am all of those things. I'm not a jerk, I promise. I care about you so much, and I care about Felix. It's just that…" Gibby trailed off uncomfortably while Tasha stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

Tasha hadn't pulled out of the driveway yet, so Gibby took that as a good sign. But he also knew that she was moments away from walking out of his life for good. Gibby knew that he had to fix this somehow – but what could he do?

"Gibby?" Tasha asked unexpectedly.

"Tasha, can I ask you something?" Gibby asked carefully after about two seconds.

"Ok." Tasha answered uncertainly.

"Do you believe in the supernatural? I mean…do you believe that the supernatural can affect our ordinary lives on a regular basis?" Gibby questioned seriously, leaning over the top of the car door.

Tasha wordlessly unbuckled her seatbelt. Gibby stepped back to allow her to get out of the car again till she was standing in front of him.

"I don't know, I guess. I mean, I believe that there's a higher power somewhere up above that affects our lives and influences them in a big way. Why do you ask?" Tasha asked seriously.

"Tasha, there's something that I want to tell you. I'm just not sure how you'll react or if you'll believe me." Gibby began uncomfortably.

"Try me." Tasha remonstrated seriously.

"It's about Felix – the real reason why he left." Gibby stated softly.

"What is it? He hasn't ridden off past the moon on a bicycle like ET, has he?" Tasha joked feebly, a trace of weariness still evident in her tone.

"Not quite. Felix isn't an alien, Tasha. But he's not my son either."

Then Gibby squared his shoulders and began explaining a very strange tale.

* * *

An hour later, both Corrie and Matt were outside the house. After what ended up being a very short discussion, Corrie had taken up a position leaning against Carly's black SUV while Matt dribbled his basketball around the driveway, aiming a few well-placed free throws at the hoop.

"What do you think Mom and Dad are doing in there?" Matt asked conspiratorially of his sister.

Corrie shrugged in response, her hands trembling at her sides.

"Who the hell knows? I hope they're calling a shrink though," she muttered darkly.

"Yeah, tell me about it. This is pretty crazy," Matt admitted in a far-away voice.

Corrie, who had been idly toying with her cellphone all the while, looked up and stared at Matt with an unfathomable expression on her face.

"Matt, please tell me you're not buying what Dad told us earlier," she remonstrated disbelievingly.

After the ball hit the back board with a loud thump, Matt grabbed the ball and tucked it under his arm, a pensive expression playing on his face.

"I honestly don't know what to think, Corrie." Matt admitted truthfully.

"But what Dad's saying is totally nuts, right? There's no way in hell that he and Felix Gibson are the same person!" Corrie exclaimed vehemently.

"That's just it, Corrie. As crazy as it sounds, I don't think we can rule it out," Matt observed thoughtfully.

"Oh, not you too," Corrie complained disdainfully while pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I'm serious. You weren't around Felix as much as I was. There are just certain things that are hard to ignore," Matt stated seriously while aiming off another shot at the hoop.

"Like what?" Corrie asked curiously, coming to stand closer to her brother.

"Just stuff like…things Felix would say to me from time to time. I always thought he was really mature for a guy who was supposed to be 17 years old. He always talked about things (especially about relationships) like he was talking from experience. It was also the way he talked about you too, Corrie." Matt explained slowly.

"What kind of things did he say about me?" Corrie asked curiously in spite of herself.

"He said…well, expressed things like…disappointment. Disappointment in your choices," Matt answered awkwardly.

"My choices? Like…_Reed_?" Corrie asked in awe.

"That came up a few times," Matt offered with a sarcastic smile.

"There was other stuff too. Like…after you got into that big fight with him at West Seattle Bowl, he told me things like how he doesn't want you to throw your life away by shacking up with Reed and missing out on going to Stamford and stuff."

"Plus, there was that one time when I brought Felix back here and he antagonised Aunt Sam! Mom always said that Dad was the only one who ever got Aunt Sam riled up like that!" Matt pointed out vehemently.

"Aunt Sam hates kids in general! That's not proof!" Corrie shot back impatiently.

"It was also the way he talked to me too, especially after he found out about Reed bullying me…he was just really concerned about my well-being, kinda the way a Dad might be," Mat concluded soberly.

"That's great, Matt, really. All of that was just super touching. But you're forgetting one little important fact," Corrie hissed crisply, suddenly vehement in her pacing.

Matt watched Corrie stop in front of him and was surprised to find angry tears in her eyes.

"What?" he asked curiously.

"None of what you just said describes Dad at all. Or at least, he hasn't been that way for a long time." Corrie answered painstakingly while wiping away at a tear that escaped her eyes with her fingertips.

Matt hesitantly reached out and put a lone hand on his older sister's shoulder. He gained a little more courage when she didn't slap it away like she normally would.

"I'm sorry, Cor. Most of the time, I feel like I'm the only one who was hurt by Mom and Dad wanting a divorce. I guess I forget sometimes that it must hurt you more," he offered sympathetically.

"I don't know why though; I've been pretending not to care for years. It was just easier not to; that way, I couldn't get more hurt or be more disappointed with anything or anyone." Corrie offered seriously while staring off into space for a few seconds.

"I know what we heard is a pretty crazy story. But maybe we should try and hear Dad out, just this once." Matt chided soothingly.

"Give me one good reason why," Corrie snapped impatiently, changing tune almost immediately.

"Because…crazy story or not, I haven't seen Dad this jazzed up about anything in years. I really think he means it this time, Corrie." Matt replied sincerely.

"It's also the way he looks at Mom too," he added more seriously.

Corrie, who had her head bent over while pacing, snapped to attention at this.

"How does Dad look at Mom?" she asked curiously in spite of herself.

"Like he's just seen her for the first time in his life. Like she's the only woman that he wants to spend today and forever with," Matt answered pensively.

"Felix said he's been in love with the same girl ever since he was 17 years old," Corrie interjected abruptly, a part of the puzzle coming together in her mind while looking at her youngest brother.

Matt looked over at Corrie before coming to stand next to her again.

"Felix said something similar to me too, when I was having trouble talking to Nicole in the beginning. He said he'd once dated the most beautiful girl at his old school. He said he broke her heart, and that was the one thing he's always regretted doing in his whole life." Matt remarked stoically.

"Mom…" Corrie breathed in astonishment.

"Yeah," Matt agreed, matching her tone.

"I know seeing them together like that this morning in the kitchen was a big shock…and really creepy and wrong. But if anyone has a right to be most upset with Dad, it's Mom. And if she can give him another chance, then we maybe can at least try too, for her sake." Matt declared sensibly.

Corrie studied Matt's face for a few seconds before coming to a sudden decision. She looked up at the sky and rolled her eyes before turning to face Matt again.

"Fine, I'll give this a shot. But we're far from done talking to our dear parents. You talk to Mom, I'll tackle Dad," she instructed firmly.

"Deal." Matt agreed rapidly.

After a quick handshake, the two Benson siblings went their separate ways: one through the front door and one through the back.

* * *

Gibby sat down on his sofa and rested against the comfy headrest with a loud sigh. His conversation with Tasha about Felix had taken all of 20 minutes. And after that, she had hopped into her car and made a hasty exit out of his driveway, burning rubber on the residential street in front of his house.

That had been almost 30 minutes ago. Gibby shook his head and cupped his head in his hands. He'd been so sure that Tasha was different from the rest, a beautiful and sophisticated woman whose superior intellect and tolerance might have been able to give him a fair hearing on any other day that didn't involve crazy stories about middle-aged men turning into teenage boys. He should've known better from the start that a woman like Tasha could have any man she wanted; what did she need a screw-up like him for?

He was so engrossed in his own morbid thoughts of self-pity that he almost didn't hear the loud knocking on his front door. After about the fifth knock, Gibby looked up in confusion when he heard someone calling his name in close proximity. He got up slowly from the sofa and made his way to the front door, unlocking it and opening it wide.

"Tasha?" Gibby asked incredulously.

"Hi," Tasha greeted with a lame wave of her hand.

"Can I come in? Thanks," she announced all in one breath as she side-stepped Gibby and strolled into the hallway.

Gibby shook his head experimentally like knocking water out of his ears before he silently shut the front door behind him.

"What are you doing back here? When you left 30 minutes ago, I thought you weren't coming back," Gibby stated morosely.

"I thought so too. I mean, what you told me about Felix actually being Freddie Benson, your best friend in the whole wide world, was completely insane. But then I drove past a comic book store on my way home and I made an abrupt decision to pull over. And then I got a sudden impulse to buy this," Tasha explained rapidly, shoving something papery into Gibby's hands.

Gibby looked down and saw that Tasha had shoved what looked like a newly purchased comic book in his hands.

"It's 'The Time Traveller' series." Gibby noted slowly.

"Comic book 347 entitled 'The Spirit Guide'. This is one of the comic books you showed Freddie after he 'transformed', right?" Tasha asked persistently.

"Definitely one of them. You've read it before?" Gibby asked curiously.

"Only about 10 times before I even met you." Tasha answered truthfully.

"So…?" Gibby asked tentatively while searching Tasha's eyes.

"I believe you, Gibby. I know your story sounds completely crazy and far-fetched, but I can't help believing it. I thought you were pretty bizarre when I first met you, so this should be a drop in the bucket after everything." Tasha declared breathlessly.

Then before Gibby could stop her, Tasha wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and began kissing him passionately. Gibby disentangled himself from her a few seconds later, panting loudly, confusion etched all over his face.

"What was that all about?" he questioned in bewilderment.

"Comic book stories turn me on," Tasha answered earnestly.

"But I thought that you didn't have sex on the first date," Gibby protested weakly.

"Gibby, we've already been on a first date that night at Petrozinni's, when I first wanted to have sex with you. Then we spent the whole afternoon in the Japanese Garden inside the Washington Park Arboretum yesterday, which could count as a second date. And this morning, I came over to have breakfast with you and we cuddled on your couch watching movies together. I want you more than I can stand right now. Plunder my dungeon, Gibby." Tasha commanded in a no-nonsense tone.

An look of intrigue swept over Gibby's face while he studied Tasha's brown eyes, which were dancing with smoldering flames of desire before his eyes dragged down to her pouty lips, swollen from his kisses. He made up his mind a second after that.

"To Nug Nug's Cruiser!" Gibby bellowed excitedly, referring to his king-size bed.

Then Tasha yelped in surprise when Gibby literally swept her off of his feet and into his arms, practically sprinting up the stairs with her to his bedroom. And after letting her back down to stand on her own two feet, Tasha took charge and pushed Gibby down onto the bed, covering his body with hers. In a matter of seconds, Gibby's hands were fisted through Tasha's gorgeous brown locks, kissing her deeply while Tasha reciprocated, making strange panting noises of pleasure all the while that were reminiscent of Nug Nug's pet moon ferret.

* * *

While Matt went through the front door and took Carly aside to talk to her in the living room, Corrie took Freddie quite forcefully by the hand and led him outside to the patio so they could talk in private. Matt and Carly wound up sitting across from each other on bar stools around the kitchen counter. For the moment, Matt chose to ignore the fact that his parents had been goofing around on the marble surface not too long ago while focusing his attention on his mother.

"You ok, honey?" Carly asked in concern, reaching over to take her son's hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Mom. Just a little confused I guess," Matt admitted softly.

"I understand perfectly. I know this is a lot to take in. But I want you to know that your Dad and I love you and Corrie so much. No matter what happens from here on out, we are always gonna put your needs and wants first." Carly responded earnestly.

"You don't have to do that, Mom. Corrie and I aren't little kids anymore, we know how this goes. If you and Dad wanna be together again, we're not gonna stand in your way. I guess we just wanna make sure that you're doing the right thing, both of you." Matt stated seriously.

"We are, Matt. I'm not saying your Dad and I didn't have problems before or that anything's perfect right now. But we're gonna try our hardest to make our marriage work, for us and for you and Corrie. I want us to be a family again. I'm just sorry that both your Dad and I were too stubborn to figure this out months ago. If we had, we could've avoided a lot of hurt and spared you and Corrie a lot of pain." Carly responded painstakingly, a few tears slipping from her eyes.

"Don't cry, Mom. It's gonna be ok. Everybody makes mistakes. Maybe you and Dad could've figured all of this out sooner. But I'd rather you guys figure it out after a long time than not at all. I know Dad hurt you. But whatever you decide, I'll stand by you, Mom." Matt declared loyally.

Carly got up from her chair and moved to Matt. Then she put her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, kissing him on the side of his head.

"Oh, Matty. When did you suddenly grow up and become such a wise and mature young man? I love you so much," she whispered intently while holding him close.

"I love you too, Mom." Matt answered truthfully, but somewhat awkwardly.

"Will you promise me something, Matt?"

"Anything, Mom."

"It doesn't have to be just yet because you still have to process everything that's happened today. But I want you to promise me that you'll try to give your Dad another chance. He's made a lot of mistakes, but I know that he loves you and Corrie so much. Please don't shut him out," Carly remonstrated genuinely.

Matt only hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering.

"I'll try, Mom." He replied stoically.

* * *

As father and daughter stood near the finished hammock, Freddie couldn't help noticing how much Corrie resembled her mother when she was annoyed with him in particular.

"So you and Matt talked things over in the driveway?" Freddie asked quietly, starting the ball rolling.

"Yeah, we did. I'm not saying that I'm completely sold on your whole story, but for Mom's sake, I'm not gonna throw my toys out of the cot." Corrie replied steadily.

"Wow, Corrie, that's really big of you-"

"I'm not finished yet, Dad. There's still one more thing we need to discuss." Corrie interjected sternly.

"What's that?" Freddie asked in bewilderment, not knowing what his daughter was getting at.

Corrie tapped her foot impatiently before ploughing on with what she wanted to say.

"I'm talking about what happened between me and Felix. By the bleachers at school on the day Reed broke up with me and later that night at Uncle Gibby's house." She answered seriously.

Freddie gulped down sudden bile in his throat, feeling strangely nauseated at the prospect of this discussion.

"With everything you told us today, I would normally say that it's best to just let everything out into the open. But not this, especially when I basically made a…a move on Felix, who turned out to be my own father. No one can find out about this, Dad. Especially not Mom." Corrie warned heatedly.

"Well, honey, that's gonna be a bit of a problem since I…already told her." Freddie replied in a small voice.

"You what?" Corrie thundered in mortification.

"Dad, please tell me you're kidding!

This wasn't supposed to be funny at all, yet Freddie couldn't stop laughing. Perhaps it was the release of all the tension he'd been suffering under lately that prompted this unexpected reaction. But Freddie was glad that the endorphins were finally rushing up to his brain, filling him with serene joviality.

"How can you find this remotely funny?"

"Believe me, it wasn't my original intention."

"This is so not funny, Dad! It's twisted and wrong. It's incestuous!"

"True. But it was an honest mistake. Not necessarily one that anyone could make, but a mistake nevertheless. We should be thankful that nothing came of it. If I can put it behind me, then so can you, Cor."

"Dad, what are you talking about? What about Mom? Isn't she furious?" Corrie demanded hysterically.

"Of course not, sweetheart. Your Mom understands and she certainly doesn't judge you. Look, I know it's gonna take a while before everything returns to some semblance of normality. But I'm willing to try if you are." Freddie offered in an accommodating tone.

"What Felix said in Health Class a month ago about loving your baby girl and stopping anything from hurting her…did he mean that?" Corrie asked in a small voice, turning to face Freddie.

"Of course he-I meant it, Corrie. I meant every word that I've said in the past two months." Freddie declared honestly.

"But I thought I was the reason you and Mom fell apart in the first place. You wouldn't have married her if she hadn't been pregnant with me." Corrie stated miserably, unshed tears blooming in her eyes.

"That's not true. I married your Mom because I love her, I always have. You didn't keep us apart, you brought us together. When you were born, I promised myself right then and there that I would do everything in my power to always love and protect you. No matter how old you get, you'll always be my little girl, Corrie. I just want the chance to make it up to you." Freddie responded vehemently, unshed tears forming in his eyes too.

Corrie didn't stop Freddie when he leant in and hugged her briefly.

"I believe you. But there's just one more thing I need from you, Dad." Corrie began softly when Freddie eventually disentangled himself.

"Anything, honey." Freddie remarked without blinking.

"If you and Mom decide to go for marriage counselling because of all these whacky incidents the past few months, would you mind booking me an appointment with a psychologist? I'm gonna need a lot of intensive therapy as of this moment." Corrie answered with shaky laughter.

Freddie began laughing uncontrollably at this as he slipped an arm around Corrie's shoulder and pulled her to his side.

"I'd be happy to, Corrie." He promised with a broad smile while kissing her cheek.

* * *

After the kids had excused themselves and gone off to their bedrooms, Freddie and Carly stood together in the kitchen, lost in their own thoughts.

"What a morning," Freddie noted wearily.

"Tell me about it. I'm glad that's over with," Carly agreed wholeheartedly, referring to their conversations with the kids.

She let her head droop and rest on Freddie's shoulder while his hand slipped around her waist while they leant against the kitchen sink.

"Wait! There's one more thing we have to do, Carly!" Freddie exclaimed in horror.

"What's that?" Carly asked in confusion.

"Look, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself and I know that we agreed to take things slow. But we are sort of in the middle of getting a divorce, at least we were the other day when I came to the courthouse with Gibby to stop you-"

"Freddie-"

"I can't believe how stupid that whole entrance was and Gibby showing up with that fake law degree in his hands-"

"Freddie-"

"I don't blame you for going through with it, you had every right to, Carly. But we might need to call up our lawyers and talk to the judge again to get the order reversed-"

"FREDDIE!"

"What?" Freddie asked in confusion, surprised by Carly's sudden exclamation.

"We're not divorced, at least not for another month." Carly answered simply.

"We're not? B-b-but how?" Freddie questioned in bewilderment.

"After Felix read me that 'letter' in court and left with Gibby, I sort of asked the judge if we could stall the matter for just a little while. So the judge postponed the case till next month." Carly explained seriously.

"Well that's great, but I don't understand. Why did you postpone the divorce, Carly? I thought you wanted to go through with it." Freddie stated softly.

"I never wanted a divorce, Freddie. I was hurt, confused and angry with you, with me, with how bad things had become between us with our marriage and our family. You weren't the only one who gave up in the end and just let things happen the way it did. But I don't wanna do that anymore. I wanna make things work this time. I love you so much, Freddie. I never stopped for a second; it just took me a while to realise what I was giving up on with us." Carly declared earnestly, moving closer towards Freddie.

"You really mean that?" Freddie asked slowly, trying to keep the desperate hope in his voice down to a minimum.

"Every single word." Carly replied with a broad smile on her face.

"Which reminds me, I have something that belongs to you." She added abruptly.

Freddie frowned in confusion when Carly turned on her heels and exited the kitchen, leaving him standing there by the sink. She returned a few seconds later with a small object resting in the palm of her hand.

"I believe this is yours, Mr. Benson." Carly stated airily.

"My wedding band," Freddie whispered in awe, staring down at the gold ring in Carly's hand.

Without an ounce of hesitation, Carly took the ring and began sliding it gently onto the fourth finger on Freddie's left hand.

"You really shouldn't leave something this valuable lying around, especially on patio furniture. If we're gonna try this for a second time, you're gonna need this to make it stick. It's the only way other women are gonna know not to make a pass at you in future. You're all mine, Freddie." Carly declared with a devilish grin on her face as she slipped Freddie's ring back on his finger.

Freddie looked away from her and stared down at his finger. He'd been wearing the ring on a gold chain while he was still a teenager, especially on game days. The gold band felt a little snug on his finger, which was slightly chubby from age. But the ring was finally back where it belonged. He was finally back where he belonged. A small lump rose up in his throat as he turned towards Carly and cupped her face in his hands.

"I love you so much, Carly. So help me God, I'm going to do my best to make you the happiest woman alive, Mrs. Benson." He breathed sincerely.

"You already have, Mr. Benson." Carly offered with a radiant smile which took Freddie's breath away.

With a jubilant laugh, Freddie swooped down onto Carly and kissed her lips hungrily and fervently, getting lost in the sensation for a few seconds. And when he pulled away, Carly moved forward and embraced Freddie tightly, holding him close all the while as they stood together in the kitchen.

* * *

**Author's Note: Aww, wasn't that a deliciously sappy conclusion? Mind you, this is only the second last chapter though. The conclusion to this delightful story will up on FF next weekend, if I'm not impeded by a spontaneous blackout caused by Eskom, South Africa's leading (and the only) provider of electricty and power ,':[ I don't know what's been wrong with me lately, I've been deliriously calm and amicable all week. Mind you, this is not normal behaviour on my part, call it a 2011 resolution if you will ; ) I hope I infused the right amount of emotion into this chapter, along with a dash of hilarity. I finally watched "iEnrage Gibby" for the first time this week on Nickelodeon, which was freakin' hilarious, so that played a big hand in the Tibby subtext ; ) I hope you all have a fantabulous weekend, pip pip cheerio!**


	18. The Conclusion

**Author's Note: Hey, everybody! I hope you're all having a fabulous week. *sniff* This is the final instalment for this story. It's been one hell of a ride and an amazing fic to write, even though it sort of wasn't my original concept. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, cheers!**

**Disclaimer: For the last time, I do not own iCarly in any capacity (but if I did, it would air more regularly on stupid Nick) nor do I own 17 Again.  
**

* * *

It took Freddie a comparatively short time to reach Gibby's house, his Audi R-8 glittering in the overhead sunlight as he drove. He reached the driveway and got out of the car, whistling gaily as he walked, an evident spring in his step. He was sporting a pair of dark blue Guess jeans, a black short-sleeved polo shirt, a pair of trendy white Adidas sneakers on his feet and his silver Police sunglasses covering his eyes.

It had been exactly a month since he and Carly had officially rekindled their relationship and Freddie was unrecognisable as the man he used to be. Gone were the slumped shoulders, weary eyes and wrinkles along his forehead. Freddie Benson was finally beginning to resemble some of the vibrant and energetic man he'd always wanted to be, someone who loved his life to the full. By contrast to several months prior, he looked a good deal younger than his actual age.

Ever since his return back to his home, Freddie had began making some drastic changes like hitting the gym more regularly than before. He had always been blessed with a healthy metabolism, and it was beginning to show even more with the evidence of his old muscles slowly returning to his chest and arms. For the first time in a long time, things were finally looking up. A dazzling smile creased Freddie's mouth at the thought.

After knocking on Gibby's front door and getting no response, Freddie dug into his jeans pockets and retrieved the spare key that his best friend had given him months ago when he had first moved in. He opened up the front door and shut it behind him, calling out to his best friend as he ascended the stairwell.

"Gibby! Yo, Gib! Are you here, buddy?" Freddie called out loudly while cupping his hands over his mouth.

Freddie got up to the second floor and heard noises coming from Gibby's bedroom. He frowned in curiosity and stepped cautiously over the threshold. The noises were coming from Gibby's Galaxy Wars cruiser-shaped bed and they sounded like hoarse whispers mixed in with light moans. But all Freddie could make out was grappling motions amidst the red and brown coloured duvet on the bed. Instead of retreating like his instinct would've normally told him to, Freddie decided to break the tension he was feeling by clearing his throat audibly.

Gibby emerged shirtless from the covers with tousled hair and bloodshot eyes. But most surprising of all to Freddie was when Tasha Baxter emerged from beneath the covers too, her brown hair dishevelled and sporting a slinky silken pink lingerie very much of the Victoria's Secret persuasion. Her eyes widened in astonishment, matching Freddie's exact expression down to a tee as he stared back at the two of them.

"Freddie?" Gibby asked blankly.

"Oh my God," Tasha hissed in mortification, covering up her upper body with the rest of the duvet.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to barge in on you, Gibby…Principal Baxter." Freddie apologised meekly.

Now he vaguely recollected Gibby mentioning something over the phone about 'snagging Principal Good Vibes'. But Freddie had been too deliriously happy over him and Carly getting back together that he hadn't really paid attention to what Gibby had been saying. But by the looks of things (and a certain item of expensive lingerie), it seemed evident that Gibby and Tasha's romantic relationship had progressed swimmingly in the space of a month.

"Please call me Tasha. It's ok, don't worry about it…Coach Benson." Tasha replied, hesitating only slightly on the last part of her statement.

"Just 'Freddie' is fine, thanks." Freddie answered politely.

"What brings you by, Freddy-o?" Gibby asked conversationally, once he had gotten over his initial shock at seeing his best friend in his bedroom.

"Actually, I just came over to get the rest of my things out of the guest bedroom." Freddie explained with a jerk of his thumb out the bedroom door.

"Do you need any help with that?" Gibby asked loyally.

"Nah, it's cool. I'll just grab the last of the boxes myself and give you two some privacy." Freddie answered graciously with a grin on his face as he made to leave the room.

"Oh wait, I almost forgot, Freddie. As soon as you and your family get back from your trip over the summer, I'd like you to stop by my office before the semester starts so that I can give you the schedules for basketball practice and for the Multimedia courses you'll be teaching this year." Tasha stated in business-like fashion.

As soon as the summer vacation ended, Freddie would be returning to Ridgeway High. Only this time, he would be returning as a teacher and not as a student. He was going to be working full-time by teaching computer courses to the upper class men as well as helping out by designing an updated version of Ridgeway's official website and the school paper's online website too. As the former tech producer of iCarly, Freddie was in his element at the idea of being able to teach young student about some of passions, which was web design and computer technology.

And in addition to that, he would be taking over from Coach Lennox's position as basketball coach for the Varsity team, which meant that he'd also be involved heavily with the game that he still loved immensely. And he'd be able to spend some quality time with Matt, who would be a senior at the start of the new semester.

"Absolutely. Thank you again for the opportunity." Freddie replied sincerely.

"You're welcome. You came with great references," Tasha declared graciously while throwing Gibby a side-long smile.

"Well, I appreciate it a lot. Am I still seeing the two of you for lunch in an hour before we leave?" Freddie asked conversationally of Gibby and Tasha.

"Absolutely, we'll be there," Gibby responded gaily with one arm around Tasha's shoulder.

"Great, I'd better get going. I'll see you then," Freddie greeted as he made to leave.

"Oh, before you go, I got you a little gift in preparation for your new job. It's in the pedestal drawer next to you." Gibby stated abruptly.

Freddie wordlessly opened the drawer and retrieved a small black box from it. He opened it and was amazed to find a gleaming silver whistle in it.

"Since you gave Matt your basketball key ring, I thought this could be your new lucky charm. Besides, you're gonna need a whistle as Ridgeway's new basketball coach in order to keep those teenage boys in line." Gibby explained casually.

"Don't blow it," he added with a mesh of seriousness and amusement evident in his tone, referring to Freddie's numerous mistakes before this.

Freddie grinned at Gibby, feeling a huge lump developing in his throat at his best friend's thoughtfulness.

"Thanks, man." He replied seriously, giving Gibby a small nod, which the latter returned.

"See you two later for lunch."

"Bye!" Tasha greeted cheerfully with a wave of her hand.

"Love you!" Gibby called out as Freddie bounded down the stairs.

"Love you too!" Freddie called back happily.

Tasha chuckled and kissed Gibby affectionately on the cheek, enjoying the goofy look on her boyfriend's face due to his best friend's unexpected response.

* * *

Freddie made it home just in time to start grilling the steaks on the grill he had placed next to the hammock on the wooden deck of the porch. Fixing the hammock had been a piece of cake, but the old grill was another story; it seemed far more feasible to buy a new one in the grand scheme of things. Carly was busy making a salad in the kitchen while Corrie and Matt were in their bedrooms, doing some last-minute packing.

After turning the steaks over with a giant fork, Freddie strolled back into the kitchen where Carly was busy adding some dressing to the salad. With a broad smile on his face, he crept up behind her and enveloped her in a warm hug.

"Looks good," he murmured gently, his lips brushing against Carly's ear.

"Thanks, it's just a simple salad," Carly remarked casually with a wide smile on her face.

"I was talking about my beautiful wife. But I guess the salad looks good too," Freddie teased lightly, causing Carly to giggle softly.

"I swear, that never gets old," Carly mused intimately before turning around in Freddie's arms to face him.

They stood like that for a few seconds with their arms wrapped around each other before they eventually disentangled themselves, content smiles etched onto their faces.

"You all packed and ready to go after lunch?" Freddie asked conversationally.

"Uh huh, you?" Carly asked curiously.

"I've just gotta pack in my camera equipment, then I'm good to go." Freddie answered casually.

"Freddie Benson never leaves home without his camera and a pack of Duracell batteries," Carly teased reminiscently, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Some habits never die I guess," Freddie responded, matching her tone.

"I'm glad. I hope you don't change that particular habit." Carly stated sincerely before planting a gentle kiss on Freddie's lips.

"Well, as long as you like it so much, I won't change." Freddie remarked smoothly, grinning against Carly's lips right before pulling away.

Just then, they heard the sound of Gibby's Gallardo hooting in the driveway.

"That must be Gibby and Tasha," Carly noted, grabbing the salad off of the kitchen counter to take outside.

"I wonder if Sam and Spencer are gonna make it here in time before we leave," she added worriedly while glancing down at her watch.

"Knowing those two, they'll get here just as we're about to go to see us off. I'll go get the door," Freddie offered quickly.

"Kids, we're gonna have lunch in a few minutes! Are you all packed?" Carly called out from the hallway.

"Yeah, Mom!" Matt yelled back from his room.

"Almost, Mom. Just grabbing my make-up kit!" Corrie shouted from the bathroom.

Freddie jogged over to the front door and opened it. Gibby and Tasha were standing on the other side, their arms draped around each other's waists.

"Hey, guys. Come on in," Freddie greeted courteously, stepping aside to let them enter.

"We brought some wine," Tasha stated quickly.

"Thanks, this is great." Freddie beamed, taking the bottle of wine from Tasha.

"Are Sam and Spencer here yet?" Gibby asked conversationally.

"Not yet. Spencer had to stop by a gallery downtown that he's doing an exhibit for in a few days. He's gonna pick Sam up at her place beforehand and they're gonna come here together." Freddie explained.

"Sweet. Where's Carly?" Gibby asked curiously.

"Out on the porch. You guys should see what she's done with the deck in a matter of months. Gibby, you'd barely recognise the backyard from how it used to look…" Freddie replied enthusiastically as he led the two of them through the living room.

Carly was just laying down some cutlery on the patio table when the three adults stepped onto the wooden deck. She beamed widely when she looked up and saw Gibby.

"Well, if it isn't the prettiest teen web-show host I've ever laid eyes on!" Gibby greeted boisterously, his arms opened wide in greeting.

"Hey, Stranger! Where have you been for the past month?" Carly asked eagerly while engulfing Gibby in a warm hug.

"I've been around, not that you would've noticed, since you've been on Cloud 9, Mrs. Benson. Carly, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Tasha. Tasha, this is Carly, one of my oldest friends and Freddie's wife." Gibby introduced happily.

"Hi, it's so nice to finally meet you. Gibby's told me so much about you." Tasha stated gaily, shaking Carly's hand warmly.

"Likewise. I'm so happy to finally meet the woman who's swept Gibby right off of his feet." Carly replied sincerely, smiling broadly at Gibby's girlfriend.

"Should we wait for Sam and Spencer?" Freddie asked curiously of Carly.

"Spencer called earlier and said we should go ahead. He and Sam will be here as soon as they can." Carly responded casually.

"Kids! We're gonna have lunch now!" Freddie bellowed.

"Coming!" Corrie and Matt chorused back in unison.

The kids strolled onto the patio nearly a minute later. They both greeted Gibby with warm hugs and addressed their school principal with polite greetings and smiles before the six of them sat down to lunch together. For the most part, Corrie and Matt rallied through their initial discomfort of having their school principal in their midst and began laughing genuinely at a few of Tasha's jokes, especially the ones aimed at teasing their Uncle Gibby. For his part, Freddie was doing a thoroughly good job of keeping everyone entertained, regaling a few tales from his days at Ridgeway High involving iCarly, particularly stories that poked fun at Sam.

"Sam would beat you into a pulp if she heard that," Carly whispered conspiratorially as she and Freddie loaded the dishes into the dishwasher after lunch was over.

"I can handle Sam," Freddie whispered back smoothly.

Carly raised an appraising eyebrow at this.

"Oh really?" she asked in an amused tone.

"Really," Freddie replied with a confident smirk on his face.

"Who are you and what have you done with my husband?" Carly asked with an admiring smile on her face, encircling Freddie's waist with her hands.

"He's still here. He's just trying to be a better version of himself than he's been lately," Freddie responded somewhat soberly while staring deep into Carly's eyes and placing his hands around her back.

"Well, it sounds to me like he's off to a good start," Carly remarked truthfully before placing a reassuring kiss on his forehead.

Freddie brightened up almost immediately at this.

"I'm glad you feel that way," he murmured gratefully before their lips melded together once more.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Gibby and Tasha stood together outside the house in the driveway with the Benson family while they loaded their suitcases into Carly's SUV. They were driving down to Alki Beach located along the Puget Sound. A former colleague of Gibby's had a 3-bedroom beach house there, which he had gladly consented to rent out to Freddie for 2 months during the summer vacation.

Freddie felt like it would be good for the whole family to spend some quality time together before Corrie went off to Stamford in the fall. Plus, it would also give him and Carly some much needed relaxation time to rekindle the spark in their marriage that they'd only just reignited recently. As Freddie and Matt grabbed Carly and Corrie's suitcases to put in the trunk, Spencer drove up the street outside their home on his motorcycle, Sam sitting on the back with her arms around his waist.

"We made it in time!" Spencer called out delightedly as both he and Sam disembarked from the motorcycle.

"We thought we were gonna miss you before you headed out," Sam added breathlessly, having jogged the length of the driveway behind Spencer.

"Well, you caught us just in time. But you kinda missed out on lunch already," Carly replied apologetically.

"Oh man! Don't tell me all the food's gone!" Sam wailed dramatically.

"Relax, Sam. We saved you and Spencer some left-overs, it's in the fridge. Yours is the biggest portion wrapped up in foil." Freddie pointed out knowingly with a look in Sam's direction.

"Very considerate of you, Fredward. Who knew?" Sam questioned.

"Hey, Gibster, what goes on?" Spencer asked brightly while shaking hands enthusiastically with Gibby.

"I'm good, Spencer. It's great to see you. I'd like you and Sam to meet my girlfriend, Tasha. Tasha, this is Spencer, Carly's older brother. And this is Sam, another one of my good friends from Ridgeway." Gibby introduced rapidly with a gesture between the three of them.

"Holy Lucky Street," Spencer marvelled out loud while shaking Tasha's hand eagerly, a manic smile on his face.

"Nice to meet you, Spencer," Tasha greeted pleasantly with a scintillating chuckle.

"Nice to meet you, Sam," she greeted cheerily while shaking Sam's hand briskly too.

Sam goggled unabashedly at Tasha, taking in all of the latter's appearance with appraising eyes.

"_You're Gibby's new girlfriend?"_Sam spluttered in awe.

"I am," Tasha confirmed with only a slightly raised eyebrow.

"Wow. You're really hot," Sam marvelled in awe.

"Uh, thank you." Tasha replied softly while blushing furiously, causing Freddie and Carly to giggle silently amongst themselves while Gibby grinned approvingly and Spencer continued gazing in amazement at Tasha.

While Spencer began conversing with Gibby and Tasha, Sam took Freddie by the arm and led him towards the patio door where they could talk in private. After explaining the strange tale of 'Felix Gibson' to the kids, Freddie had engaged in a similar conversation with Sam as well a few days afterwards. He had been a little taken aback when Sam hadn't been nearly as surprised as he expected her to be or just laughed outright in his face. But Sam explained that Carly had mentioned some of her own suspicions the day before Matt's basketball game. But they were alone again and Freddie wondered what his oldest and most abrasive friend had to say to him.

"So you're really heading out, huh?" Sam inquired seriously of Freddie.

"Pretty much. I appreciate you coming to see us off, Sam." Freddie responded genially.

Sam shrugged her shoulders in a casual stance.

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world." Sam remarked with a strange glint in her eye.

"You really hurt Carly before," she reminded sternly.

"I know." Freddie replied soberly, bowing his head just a little.

"It's not gonna happen again. I know what I have with her and the kids. And I'm going to do everything in my power to keep them happy from now on." He added firmly, looking Sam straight in the eyes as he spoke.

Sam nodded curtly in response to this.

"I was trying my best to be here for Carly, Corrie and Matt after you moved out a few months ago. But I was kinda an ass to you…both you and 'Felix' and…I'm sorry." Sam apologised abruptly, causing Freddie to goggle in amazement at her.

"You're apologising?" he questioned in bewilderment.

"Please don't make me say it again. I'd have to be an idiot not to see how much Carly loves you…how much she's always loved you. You may be a nub to me, but I know that you love her too. So for both your sakes, I'm gonna give this a try." Sam responded soberly.

"Give what a try?" Freddie asked in confusion, causing Sam to grit her teeth ever so slightly.

"This! Being nice to you more often and not stepping on your toes." Sam explained in frustration.

"Oh. Well, I'd like that a lot, Sam. You're one of my oldest friends; I appreciate you having mine and Carly's back." Freddie stated sincerely with a small smile on his face.

Then to Sam's chagrin, Freddie held out his arms to her.

"Oh God…" Sam trailed off in mortification.

"Come on, Samantha. We have to seal the deal somehow," Freddie pressed in an infuriatingly sweet manner.

Sam sighed loudly and moved closer into Freddie's embrace, letting him hug her for a few seconds. She pulled away just as quickly and shuddered overtly.

"It's Sam, you nub. Call me 'Samantha' again and I'll kick your ass, Benson." She warned dryly.

"Still don't care," Freddie remarked cleverly, causing her to roll her eyes while he laughed openly at her expression.

He shook his head laughingly and went to help Matt with the rest of the bags.

"You got it?" he asked in concern while Matt appeared to be heaving a hefty make-up case belonging to Corrie onto the backseat.

"Yeah, no worries. My new muscles from basketball sure help a lot," Matt teased lightly, causing Freddie to chuckle appreciatively.

"How does it feel having your old man as your coach next season?" Freddie asked teasingly while punching Matt lightly on the shoulder.

"Kinda weird. But still, it's a definite step-up from Coach Lennox." Matt responded with an involuntary shudder.

"If it helps, he's always been that weird," Freddie put in with an understanding smile, causing Matt to chuckle lightly.

A sudden rush of emotion welled up deep inside Freddie's chest while he looked at his son.

"I know that Corrie is the oldest in the family. But after she was born, your Mom and I always wanted another child, and I wanted the next one to be a boy. You're not the son that I expected to have at all, you're better. I've loved you since the first moment I ever set eyes on you in the hospital, when you first grabbed my thumb and looked up at me with those big brown eyes of yours. I'm so proud of you, Matt. I love you, Son." Freddie choked out.

"I love you too, Dad." Matt replied, matching his tone as he struggled to keep his emotions intact.

"I know I'm not Felix by a long shot and I can't always be there for you in quite the same way a friend might be. But is it ok if I try to be your Dad, in all the ways that matter most?" Freddie asked hopefully.

"That's ok with me," Matt replied earnestly, giving him a small smile.

Freddie smiled in turn and grasped his son in his arms, gripping him tightly while he willed the tears not to fall from his eyes.

"Dad, you can stop now," Matt stated in an awkward voice when Freddie didn't look like he was going to stop hugging him, kissing him or telling him that he loved him.

"Sorry, Son, no can do. I'm never gonna stop telling you how much I love you." Freddie promised gleefully.

Matt rolled his eyes at this, but was secretly pleased by the thought.

Corrie stood a few feet away watching the exchange between her dad and brother, smirking just a little, half in amusement, half in pride. Carly came to stand next to her, putting an arm around her daughter and kissing her lightly on the cheek.

"You got everything you need, sweetheart?" she asked softly.

"Just about," Corrie offered softly.

"Everything ok?" Carly asked in concern, unable to read her daughter's expression.

"Yeah, I think so. It's weird, it feels like a lot of things are coming to an end, high school and all that. But at the same, I'm looking forward to college. And then there's our family that's changing too." Corrie answered truthfully.

"Is it a 'good' weird on the last part?" Carly pried tentatively.

Corrie turned to face her mom with a small smile on her face.

"Definitely a 'good weird'. You just seem happier these days, Mom. And Dad's been different too, just…happier and more alive, I guess." She responded sincerely.

"He has, hasn't he?" Carly asked with a radiant smile, watching Matt and Freddie laughing animatedly about something together.

"And what about you, honey? Are you happy too?" Carly asked seriously, staring deeply into Corrie's brown eyes.

Corrie deliberated ever so slightly before answering Carly's question.

"I think so. I feel like this is just the beginning for our family." She murmured earnestly.

Carly laughed a little, tears forming in her eyes while she kissed Corrie on the cheek.

"I love you, Baby Girl," she murmured intently while hugging her daughter tightly.

"I love you too, Mom." Corrie whispered back, letting her mom hug her close just for once.

"Hey, Corrie, Matt! Come here for a sec and give your Uncle Gibby a goodbye kiss," Gibby implored in a boisterous tone.

Corrie and Matt acquiesced as they moved towards Gibby, who had a devious grin on his face.

"I take it that when your Dad said you were going on vacation for two months, he mentioned something about 'quality family time free from distractions', right?" Gibby asked conspiratorial.

"Totally. I'm not allowed to take my laptop with," Corrie complained dryly.

"My Xbox is staying at home too," Matt added in a lamenting tone.

Gibby looked around him just to make sure no one was watching. Carly and Freddie were talking animatedly to Tasha, Spencer and Sam.

"Well, I agree with your Dad, family time is important. But on those particularly boring days, I thought you two could use these," he explained in a whisper.

He retrieved two plastic bags from behind his back and handed each of them to Corrie and Matt. Both of them gasped in surprise at the contents.

"You got me a compact Nano Xbox!" Matt hissed jubilantly.

"A Pear Phone A-180!" Corrie hissed in amazement.

"Hey, how come Corrie gets a Pear Phone?" Matt complained lightly.

"Because you already have a BlueBerry SG23, Matty. Plus, there are a couple of your favourite video games in there, along with a few new ones." Gibby returned cleverly, pointing to the bag.

"Awesome!" Matt exclaimed happily.

"Uncle Gibby, this is amazing. But it's too much," Corrie replied in an unexpectedly gracious tone.

"No, it's not, you're my goddaughter, sweetheart. Think of it as a graduation present from your favourite uncle," Gibby responded sincerely before giving Corrie a kiss on the cheek.

Then he gave Matt a one-armed hug too.

"Thanks, Uncle Gibby. This is seriously above and beyond," Matt thanked sincerely.

"No problemo. But hey, only make the big reveal once you get back home. I don't want your Dad coming after me with a baseball bat," Gibby teased lightly.

"Deal," Corrie agreed readily with a beaming face.

A car hooted from the street and Matt recognised it as Nicole's Mini-Cooper.

"Be right back," he stated quickly to Gibby and Corrie, jogging down the driveway with a big grin on his face.

"Dating a cheerleader…nice." Gibby remarked approvingly.

"And now I need a boyfriend," Corrie lamented wistfully, watching Matt hug Nicole in a warm embrace.

"Don't worry about that, chica. You're a knock-out; you're gonna have to fend off those Stamford boys with a stick." Gibby chided soothingly.

"Thanks, Uncle Gibby. Love you," Corrie responded warmly before hugging him.

"Love you too, kiddo." Gibby murmured earnestly with a big smile on his face.

"Come on, kids! It's time to go!" Freddie called out exuberantly.

"Ok, I have to go, Nicole. I'll be on Blueberry Instant Messenger in a few hours when we get to Alki Beach," Matt promised after kissing his girlfriend goodbye.

"Ok, I'll miss you till then. Have a great time, Matt." Nicole replied sweetly before engulfing Matt in another searing kiss.

"I'll miss you too. Don't start dating any other jocks while I'm gone." Matt teased airily, causing Nicole to laugh.

"There's just one jock for me. Call me later?"

"Absolutely."

"Matt, let's go!" Corrie bellowed impatiently.

"I'm coming!" Matt yelled back.

He rolled his eyes and waved one last time at his girlfriend as she got back into her car and drove away. Then he walked back up the driveway while Corrie was hugging Spencer and Sam. Matt did the same and got into the family car.

"Have a great time," Spencer greeted as he hugged Carly.

"We will. Thank you for everything, Spencer. You've been amazing these past few months." Carly thanked sincerely while looking at her older brother.

"Anything for my baby sister," Spencer replied warmly as he hugged her again.

Then he turned to Freddie and engulfed him in a bear hug.

"I knew you'd come to your senses eventually," Spencer teased knowingly when they broke apart.

"Not without you and a little help from my Spirit Guide. Thank you for everything, Spencer." Freddie replied earnestly.

"Any time. Take care of my sister and my niece and nephew."

"You bet I will."

"Call me as soon as you get there," Sam murmured in Carly's ear as they hugged one another.

"I will. Thank you for everything, Sam. Take care of Spencer for me while I'm gone." Carly implored softly.

"You and I both know that Spencer can't stay out of trouble." Sam remarked knowingly.

"Kind of like someone else I know," Carly teased slyly.

"Birds of a feather, what are you gonna do?" Sam asked with a casual shrug.

Carly shook her head and laughed as she and Sam hugged one last time.

"Gibby's been good to me these past few months. Take good care of him for me while I'm gone," Freddie implored gently while he hugged Tasha.

"I will, don't worry." Tasha replied sincerely before hugging Carly in greeting too.

After greeting Gibby and Tasha, Carly and Freddie got into the car and the four Bensons fastened their seatbelts. They opened up their windows and began waving frantically at their closest friends as they drove out of the driveway. And then they were slowly making their way out of the city, driving amongst rows of cars down the West Seattle Bridge en route to their destination.

* * *

It was a few days later and Carly was sitting in the living room of the beach house, typing away feverishly on her Pear Pro. She was sending off an email to a prospective client who was asking for a quote on landscaping her entire garden. It was a very wealthy woman in her late fifties (a socialite of sorts) and if Carly landed this particular job, it would mean a lot of money in her pocket and a host of new clients afterwards. She felt bad about doing work-related things on a vacation away from home, but Freddie had insisted that she bring her laptop with in case any potential clients tried to contact her. He knew how important her new business was to her, and it took a big weight off of Carly's shoulder. She was so proud of Freddie for starting his new job at Ridgeway, feeling like he was finally doing something he loved. They were both becoming the kind of people they'd dreamed of being all their lives.

Freddie was currently outside the beach house, playing a little touch football with the kids before having dinner together as a family. Carly had to admit, Alki Beach was beautiful. The illustrious landscape was so picturesque with the red and white Alki Point Lighthouse in close proximity; it was already giving her new ideas for possible landscaping projects in the near future. And it didn't hurt that she and Freddie had already taken a few moonlit strolls together after dinner since they had arrived.

With a blissful sigh of satisfaction, Carly sent off the email she had been composing for the past 10 minutes and logged out of her email account.

"Mom, please get off your laptop! Dad and Matt are cheating here!" Corrie called out brightly.

"We're so not cheating, Mom! Corrie just sucks at football!" Matt shouted back laughingly.

"Do not! I could totally kick your butt! I just need Mom's help to make it even!" Corrie yelled back with a daring glint in her eye.

"Carly, you'd better get out here! It's gonna be a bloodbath in the next few minutes! I don't know if I can keep them apart indefinitely!" Freddie called out in a dramatic voice, causing Carly to laugh out loud.

"Hold your horses, I'm coming!" Carly yelled back laughingly.

She giggled and closed the lid on her laptop, shivering slightly. It was fast approaching 5pm and the sun was slowly dipping beyond the horizon in a misty orange haze. Carly grabbed her pashmina off of the edge of the sofa and put it on before skipping out of the patio door to join her family.

Her kids and husband welcomed her exuberantly. While Matt tossed the long brown leather ball at Corrie, Freddie caught Carly around the waist and began spinning her around in the air, till she was just a laughing swirling blur. And all that could be seen for a good long while was a happy and content family of four, running and jumping all over the white sand beneath their feet, their elated silhouettes steadily fading into a tarn of black under the silvery moonlight.

* * *

**Author's Note: A big thank you to the following people for reviewing this story from beginning to end:**

**Storyteller125, sockstar, CGK0113, Fanfic-Reader-88, baronvonmilo, themarchgirl, Carl Rahl, RemDiamond, purpleheart10, TooPiAr, veras333, aisforangelaaa, metalheart0026, Lapsuit10, TheGameMan, ItWasByMe97, trachie17, BlackRoseForever, SorrisoD'amore, The Earl Of Sandwich, AbigailSeville24, shadow21, damnreality and DoctrineDark. **

**To everyone else who favourited and put my story on alert, thank you so much. It made this a huge pleasure to write and makes me want to keep writing. You guys are seriously loyal and awesome, thank you so much. Carl Rahl's given me a unique idea for a short Creddie story called 'Bonded', which you'll be all be seeing on FF very soon, so keep a look out for that. Alright, I'm off. My birthday's tomorrow, so I'm going to soak up the last few remaining hours of being 25 (gasp), don't wait up. Snapplelinz out!  
**


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